This year Lent will begin on February 14, 2024. What a fitting day to focus on all that is love. I encourage you to use these days BEFORE Lent begins to think about what you would like your personal/spiritual experience to look like.
Lent is a journey of preparation for celebration of the Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery is how we refer to the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And we share in that Paschal Mystery in our own lives, and we strive to, like Jesus, take up our cross and follow Him each and every day of our lives.
Let us use this time to think about the three signature practices of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Lent is not only time for self-examination and reflection, but a time doing something on our journey of faith.
The forty days of Lent are reflective of the time Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing to begin his ministry of proclaiming the Gospel. Let us open our hearts and minds to new possibilities. Let us prepare for the coming of Easter!
Our message series, as well as our Small Group Program, during Lent, is “Made in Heaven”. For the Small Group portion, Fr. Augustino Torres leads us into the desert to free our hearts from sin and experience the love and mercy of our Father. It is a time to let ourselves be transformed and let our gifts shine brightly. There is an accompanying journal for prayer and meditation. The books will be available for pickup any time after Friday, February 9, 2024 If you have never participated in a Small Group, Lent is a wonderful time to experience this ministry.
On Ash Wednesday, ashes will be distributed at three Masses at 7:30am, 9:00am and 7:00pm (in this past week’s bulletin, it indicates 7:30 PM which is incorrect. The Mass on Ash Wednesday evening is at 7:00pm) as well as at two services at 12:00noon and 3:45 pm.
Lent is a time of repentance or conversion. Let us focus on our relationship with the Lord as we grow as disciples by extending ourselves to those less fortunate and giving of ourselves to others. What will you do to make this the best Lent ever?
God Bless You,
Msgr. Tom
