From the Pastor

by Fr. Rodney

We are now into the great season of Lent. We will spend the next six weeks or so, preparing to celebrate the high point of our faith: the Paschal Mystery, the suffering death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the time of penance, and the way of purifying ourselves, trying to get rid of all those sinful habits so we can celebrate Easter with a renewed commitment to follow Christ. So it is perfectly fitting that we make some form of preparation. It should be a time of personal reflection of where we stand with our faith. Even with just a little bit of reflection we can see that on the one hand, there are a lot of ways that we fail through word and action, through our thoughts and through our failure to be the kind of people that the gospel challenges us to be. But our reflections should not only focus on the negative. What are the positive things that should be part of my daily life? What kind of person am I in relation to my family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and other people I come into contact with? How active am I as a memeber of my Christian Community? What difference do I make in other people’s lives? What do I do, within my own limitations to help change some of the evils in our society? These are just some of the questions I can ask myself during these six weeks. It is never too late to get started. Let’s not think that since Ash Wednesday has already come and gone, that I can’t start today. Remember that even those who came to the vineyard at the eleventh hour were paid the same amount. But the earlier I start, the better. Some things I can do to prepare are: celebrate the Eucharist as often as possible. Set aside some part of my day for personal prayer. Reflect on some Scripture ( the readings for each day of Lent would be an excellent choice ). Set aside some money that I would ordinarily use for lunch or coffee and give it to an organization that helps the poor. Maybe it is just as simple as trying to be kind.