Bulletin Column for Feb. 19

Dear friends in Christ,

    We are just 10 days away from the start of the holy season of Lent. I’ll have all the details of our many Lenten activities, including the Ash Wednesday schedule, in next week’s bulletin. If you want a sneak peek, however, you can see it on our website now. But before we get to all of that I think we would be well served to begin thinking today about what kind of Lent we want.

    Too often it seems Ash Wednesday dawns upon us and we begin to scramble to have a “good” Lent. Maybe our past experiences of the 40 days has not been as spiritually fulfilling as we would have wanted. As such, we try extra hard to make amends for it with a renewed vigor, but is that the best way to approach this season of grace? Sometimes when we try so hard and want something so bad, we over think and over analyze it and we end up in a spiritual funk worse than when we began. No one wants that, so let’s aim for a different approach this year. I recently came upon some wise words of counsel from the online ministries of Creighton University on this idea of preparing for Lent. Allow me share a bit of their reflection with you:

    Just imagine that this Lent is going to be different from every other Lent we’ve experienced. Imagine that there will be many graces offered me this year. Let’s even imagine that God is going to help transform our lives, with greater freedom, greater joy, deeper desires for love and service.

    Lent will be this wonderful season of grace for us if we give ourselves to it. And, we will give ourselves to it to the degree we really want it badly. So, in these days before Lent, we need to prepare our hearts. We need to prepare by realizing how much we want to grow in freedom, how much we need to lighten our spirits and experience some real joy, and how much some parts of our lives really need changing. So, preparing our hearts is a process of preparing our desires. This means practicing our sense of anticipation. If I imagine Lent as an “ordeal” or a time I dread in some way, then I’ve already pre-disposed myself to not get very much out of it. These days before Lent are a time to anticipate something wonderful about to happen.

    Our sense of excitement and anticipation will grow more easily if we begin to imagine what God wants to give us. There is really something coming that we can truly look forward to. If we get too focused on ourselves, and what we are going to do or not do, we could risk missing the gift God wants to give us. We have to keep aware of the fact that grace comes from God. This is about God’s great desire to bless us. Then, it is easier for us to imagine that what we really want to do is place ourselves in a space to receive what God wants to give us.

    Taking some time to get ready for Lent will ensure that we aren't going to miss the first week or two of Lent, because we are just getting started. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, but we want to be ready to really take off on that day, rather than just beginning to think about Lent on that day. Part of what makes a vacation or a special anniversary so special is the build-up to it.

    Before we get to Ash Wednesday, we should start asking ourselves some questions and we should start with some preparations. ”What does God want to give me this year?” This question may require that I slow down a bit and listen to my inner spirit. For example, even if I’m very busy, I realize I’m hungry when I hear my stomach start growling. ”What am I going to be doing on Ash Wednesday?” Too often, Ash Wednesday is like every other day, except that I manage to get to church and get ashes on my forehead. Is there anything else I can do on Ash Wednesday? How will fasting and abstaining happen for me, for my family on that special day?

    If I have a spouse, or children, or some close friends, or distant e-mail companions, I can begin now to talk about how we will support each other in this Lenten journey. The anticipation and the preparation is transformed with the companionship of family and close friends. We shouldn’t be deterred by the fear that our spouse or children or friends “won’t be into it.” Jesus said, “Fear is useless; what’s needed is trust.” Let's begin now to tell others about our desires. Let’s help support others’ expectations. Let’s help others see that Lent doesn't have to be something I avoid, and certainly can’t be reduced to “giving up candy.” It doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare for the beginning of Lent. It just takes desire and focus. God can do so much with that.

    In other news, our Young Adult Ministry for those in their 20s and 30s has reorganized itself and is hosting a social at the home of Deacon Bill Bradley on March 5. They will be at all Masses this weekend with more information. If you are in that age range (single or married), I encourage you to check out what our Young Adult Ministry has to offer. Perhaps you have an adult child who fits that description, and if so, please pass along the information. It can sometimes be difficult for young adults to find their “place” in the Church. They have a lot going on in their lives, but it is still a critical time for them to find a home in God’s house. Our CtR Young Adults seek to offer a place of welcome where people of that age can come together to meet new friends, serve others, and grow in their Catholic faith. By the way, Deacon Bill is not a young adult himself but he is young at heart! I appreciate his guidance of the young adult community.

    Next Sunday, Feb. 26, I’ll be offering an additional Mass at 7 p.m. in the main church. This is our annual “ Teaching Mass” for our high school confirmation students and their parents, but it is open to the entire parish. I’ve offered this in the past for our youth and our RCIA community as a way to “break open” the Mass a bit more for them. It will be the regular Mass for the 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time, but I’ll be “teaching” throughout it, stopping occasionally to explain more of what is happening and, perhaps more importantly, why it is happening. We’ve found it to be a good way to get the youth engaged in the liturgy of the Church.

    Each year I offer this Mass the youth seem to like it and get a lot out of it, but it’s the adults who are there with them who say they, too, learned things they never knew. We’re never too old to be reminded of the beauty and power of the Church’s sacred liturgy. Anyone is welcome to attend. It’s a regular Mass that “counts” for your Sunday obligation just like any of the others next weekend. This Mass takes a little longer (because of the narration during it), but we usually wrap up around 8:30 p.m. or maybe a just bit later. Come join us. I think you’ll like it!

Peace, Fr. Sean