Dear Friends,
By the time that you read this, we’ll likely have jumped right into Lent. It’s one of those years in which the gap between the end of Christmas and the start of Lent is a bit abrupt. Nevertheless, in so many ways, the readings of this past Sunday end up being particularly fitting for a pre-Lenten exhortation — especially in this Year of Mercy!
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Christians around the world mark Lent’s beginning by celebrating Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10 this year.
Lent has a surprising modern appeal. Some pastors say that next to Christmas, more people come to church on Ash Wednesday than on any other day, including Easter.
The ashes help us face a basic truth that we may try to avoid, namely death. When we receive ashes, the priest or deacon says, “Remember, you are dust and unto dust, you shall return.” They may also say, “Repent and believe the Good News!”
Combined, the words remind us that we will die and return to dust; therefore, while we’re still alive, we are to repent and believe the Good News!
OSHKOSH — Madison-area men seeking to enhance their Lenten experience will get to make a weekend silent retreat at the newly renovated Jesuit Retreat House overlooking Lake Winnebago.
It’s a rare chance to spend time with God in prayer, surrounded by the beauty, peace, and solitude of nature.
“What God reveals in Scripture is the love in which we are created, the love that sustains us, and the love in which we will rest,” said Fr. Chris Manahan, Retreat House director.
There is a beautiful account of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.
MADISON — Lent is a time for fasting, prayer, self-reflection, and entering into the suffering and beauty of the cross. It is a time to find our true identity in the mystery of the cross.
As women in the Church, we look for examples of how to unite ourselves to Christ and share in his mission to the world.
St. John Paul II gave women wisdom and insight into this through letters and documents focused on the dignity and vocation of women.
Students and staff at St. John the Baptist (SJB) School in Jefferson initiated their Lenten journey together on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
I pray that your Lent continues to be fruitful and full of hope!
Here below, I want to extract one short line from our readings this past week and reflect upon it very briefly.
I know that many of you did not receive much in the way of a homily this past weekend because many of our pastors wisely decided to shorten or even forgo their homilies due to the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) and the parish request that took place this week.
Before I go further, though, I wish to offer a word or two in that regard.
The first word I have to offer is my thanks. With every ounce of sincerity, I thank you for all that you’ve done in the past, are doing this year, and may continue to do into the future, in service to our diocesan Church.
So much of the good that we do as a Church relies upon our united effort and our cooperation in and with the Spirit. While I would not stop trying to carry out the mission I have been given, no matter what, we certainly could not be as effective without your prayerful support.
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
Please allow me to return to one of my familiar themes at this beginning of Lent. I mention often at Mass and in other contexts that all of us, especially we adults, should be mindful of the graces and gifts received at our Confirmation.
I think forgetfulness that we have been confirmed is one of the true enemies of our growth in holiness.
So many times in life we need courage, we need consolation, we need joy, we need to be freed from confusion, we need to make prudent judgments –and we forget that in the Holy Sacrament of Confirmation, we have been strengthened by the Holy Spirit, in precisely the gifts which we need to face the difficult moments in life.
How often do we fail to pray, “Lord, you gave me the gifts to face this problem, with prudence, patience, and strength when I was confirmed. Now Father, stir up these gifts. Make them real for me, so that by these gifts and by your grace you will bring me through whatever difficulties I might face.”?
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| Patrick Gorman |
Lent is a season of preparation and recollection of our Baptism. This is the third in a series of several articles reflecting upon the Sacrament of Baptism.
One of the most compelling stories in the Old Testament describes the Exodus (Ex 14-15:1), when God brought the people of Israel from slavery to freedom.
At the climax of the story, God parted the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to pass through the water. As the Egyptians pursued, God allowed the water to rush back, destroying Pharaoh’s chariots and charioteers and saving the people of Israel.
The Scripture describing all of this is read each year at the Easter Vigil because it so clearly prefigures Baptism as we go through the baptismal waters from the slavery of sin to the freedom of a life in Christ.
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In Matthew 9:10-13, the Scribes and Pharisees complain that Christ dines with sinners and tax collectors. They are right. He does. Jesus responds by saying that he has come not to call the righteous, but sinners.
R. Charles Miller wrote that a sinner, as used here, is someone who admits they have sinned and needs God’s forgiveness to help them change. Conversely, the self-righteous think they don’t need forgiveness.
Christ became flesh and took on a human nature to share the Father’s mercy with us. Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel features three parables of God’s mercy.
