Winter can be an interesting time in North Carolina. It can be freezing one day and sunny and in the 60’s the next day. Winter to spring in one day. Then we go back to winter, then back to spring and so on. But as the days of winter go on, we know that we are getting closer to actual springtime, a time of rebirth in the earth as new life sprouts from the ground and the leaves fill in the trees that have been barren since the end of fall.
In a similar way, we as a Church are about to embark on a season of change as we enter into Lent. On March 6, we will celebrate Ash Wednesday. We will come forward to be marked with ashes, a sign of our mortality and a reminder of our need to turn from sin and be faithful to the gospel. Ash Wednesday begins our 40 plus day journey that will lead to the great Paschal Triduum of our Lord in Holy Week. Lent is a time to confront sin in our lives and all of those things that keep us from close union with the Lord.
The ancient Lenten disciplines of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving allow us to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the Triduum. The Triduum are the three most sacred days of our church year, which lead to the great Easter Vigil when the Elect will be reborn through the saving waters of baptism. I invite you to think about how you will make this coming Lent a holy time.
Consider taking advantage of the opportunities the parish offers for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, including our Lenten Penance Service on March 28. Perhaps you can put the Stations of the Cross that will be prayed on the Fridays of Lent at 7:00PM on your calendar. Morning Prayer will be prayed each weekday of Lent at 7:00AM. We will have our parish Lenten Mission on April 1-2 at 7:00PM with Fr. Mike Martin, OFM, Conv. who is the Campus Minister at Duke. Perhaps you can make a commitment to come to one weekday Mass during Lent.
People usually think about a Lenten sacrifice at this time of year. We think about what we might give up, such as chocolate or our favorite TV program. However, let me make a different suggestion for this Lent. Often our lives are cluttered with a lot of material things we do not need. We tend to keep that sweater that we have not worn in 10 years just in case we have an occasion to wear it, or even a car part to a car long gone.
Perhaps it might be good to consider a prayerful un-cluttering our lives or even one unneeded material possession a day. This might be a very rewarding experience on our Lenten journey. Maybe having fewer “things” or even fewer “things to do” will allow us to think about our most important possession: our relationship with God. Sometimes we just need to simplify our lives and get back to the basics.
We will once again have the opportunity to participate in Operation Rice Bowl this Lent to aid the good work of Catholic Relief Services in 45 different countries around the world.
Soon we will be marked with the sign of the cross in the form of ashes. These ashes will remind us of the need to make this Lent holy through our prayer, fasting and almsgiving. All of this will lead us to Easter, the day of resurrection, when we will celebrate the Lord’s triumph over sin and death. Have a holy and prayerful Lent.