As I predicted when we began Ordinary Time last January, time has flown by swiftly, and here we are in Lent already. I was thinking the other day, that the older I get the faster time seems to pass by. That causes me, as much as I don’t want to, to reflect more deeply and more frequently on my mortality. Not a pleasant subject for most, but a necessary thing for all of us who bear the title of Christian.
The old Baltimore Catechism tells us that God made us to be happy with him in the next life. That, my friends, is our destiny. Lent can be a time when we reflect on that destiny and all that it entails for our present life. To get to heaven we, first of all, have to believe, in God, in Jesus Christ, in forgiveness, in redemption. Through faith we are shown the path to that life that Jesus promises to all who believe in him.
So, my and our reflection on our mortality enmesh us in the mystery of life and death and in the mystery of God. During the season of Lent we are given the opportunity to get our priorities straight. To worry less about our own wants and needs and to address the needs of those who need us the most, the poor, the voiceless, the sinner. Through the discipline of Lent, prayer, fasting and alms giving, we can make things right in our relationship with God and with others.
Let us all be mindful of our sinfulness, and the need to turn from sin. Let us understand that any reflection on our mortality must necessarily include the consequences of our actions or our inaction. Lent affords us the opportunity to be transformed by the Grace flowing from the Cross of Christ.
As St. Paul tells, if we die with Christ we will certainly rise with him on the last day. Have a fruitful Lent.
Fr. Peter Pagones, Pastor
The old Baltimore Catechism tells us that God made us to be happy with him in the next life. That, my friends, is our destiny. Lent can be a time when we reflect on that destiny and all that it entails for our present life. To get to heaven we, first of all, have to believe, in God, in Jesus Christ, in forgiveness, in redemption. Through faith we are shown the path to that life that Jesus promises to all who believe in him.
So, my and our reflection on our mortality enmesh us in the mystery of life and death and in the mystery of God. During the season of Lent we are given the opportunity to get our priorities straight. To worry less about our own wants and needs and to address the needs of those who need us the most, the poor, the voiceless, the sinner. Through the discipline of Lent, prayer, fasting and alms giving, we can make things right in our relationship with God and with others.
Let us all be mindful of our sinfulness, and the need to turn from sin. Let us understand that any reflection on our mortality must necessarily include the consequences of our actions or our inaction. Lent affords us the opportunity to be transformed by the Grace flowing from the Cross of Christ.
As St. Paul tells, if we die with Christ we will certainly rise with him on the last day. Have a fruitful Lent.
Fr. Peter Pagones, Pastor