How can Lent be upon us already? Time certainly has a way of sneaking up on us. This final weekend before our sacred journey in Lent is a time for us to prepare to enter this holy season. As you can see our Ash Wednesday schedule, please know that when we begin our journey on Ash Wednesday, we should already have an idea of how the season is going to help us turn our life around. What are we going to do to draw closer to Jesus in Lent?
I’d like to suggest a few opportunities for you to take advantage of.
1. Reconciliation – Lent is season of repentance, a time for us to be reconciled to God. Take advantage of the beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation. St. Mary’s is having a Lenten Day of Mercy on Monday, March 1 beginning with 7 am Mass, and will have confession available for 24 hours. A full schedule for our Lenten Day of Mercy will be in next weeks bulletin.
2. Every Tuesday of Lent, our parish will host Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel from 7 – 8pm having confessions available. Please consider taking time before the Blessed Sacrament to focus your Lenten journey on Jesus.
3. Stations of the Cross will take place every Friday of Lent after the 9 am morning mass and at7 pm. Come journey with Jesus and reflect on the Stations as a way to draw closer to Jesus’ love for us.
4. Daily mass – Consider attending daily mass to build your spirituality during Lent. The celebration of mass is our highest form of prayer. Come to mass one extra time during the week, or each day. Masses are at 7 and 9 am.
5. Quiet prayer – both the new church and the chapel are open daily for private prayer until 8 pm. Stop by for some quiet prayer time at your convenience.
6. Other Lenten activities will be available and an entire list of what our parish is doing will be in next week’s bulletin. Take advantage of the many opportunities to draw closer to Jesus and make this the best Lent ever!
If we want Lent to be fruitful, we need to prepare ourselves now. Consider not just what you might ‘give up’, but consider what you might do extra to make this the most prayerful Lent yet.
Keep smiling,
Fr. Bryan