A Lenten Message
By Mary Jeppson
In a few days Ash Wednesday will be here beginning the Lenten Season. Lent is closely associated with the transition from winter to spring. The word “lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for springtime, lencten. It describes the gradual lengthening of daylight after the winter solstice.
In the liturgy the Alleluia and Glory to God are dropped. The penitential color of purple is prominent in vestments and church decorations. It becomes a time of fasting and abstinence, penance and almsgiving. Lent is a time of spiritual renewal. It is a time to open ourselves more fully to God’s presence in our lives.
Over the years many of us have given up various things for penance such as soda, desserts, chocolate, cigarettes, alcohol, and the list can go on. This year why not try adding something different for your penance. Think about some of the following ideas from The Magnificat Lenten Companion:
Meditate on the Lords Prayer for 10 minutes.
Do something kind for someone who does not like you.
Pray for missions and give alms.
Spend ten minutes praying before the Blessed Sacrament.
Send a thank you note to someone to whom you owe a debt of gratitude.
Volunteer in a shelter or soup kitchen.
Donate some of your “stuff” to those in greater need.
Offer your day for someone who has fallen away from the faith.
Give comfort to one who is afflicted.
Buy someone a meal or something to drink.
Bear wrongs that you experience today patiently.
Console someone who is grieving.
Go to confession.
Pray and offer some sacrifice for the Pope.
Other things we can do are attend daily mass, recite the Stations of the Cross, pray the rosary and spend an hour with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. During Holy Week come “Watch and Pray” on Holy Thursday. In some churches the Eucharist is reserved for adoration. This is a tradition here at St. Therese Parish. Lent and Holy Week prepares us for a day of triumph. If we journey with Jesus through his suffering and death and join our lives to his, then the message of this Easter Day will be joyous for us as we sing Christ is Risen - Alleluia!