From the Pastor’s Desk by Fr. Terry Kerner,
Wednesday begins Lent. The 40 days that it offers us can be felt as burdensome as well as bothersome. Lent does not have to be so. It can be a time when we can, with good incentive, address our spiritual state in our personal and often hectic life. It strongly encourages us to step back for a look at where we have been over the past year and what we want to become in the days ahead. Lent can be a season when we give up things, take on acts, or both. It is a time when we can change daily habits for the better without raising the eyebrows of family or friends wondering what we have been up to. Lent can help us witness the best in us as we discard the worst. It is a time of freedom from unwanted habits and to begin hosting in our lives the virtues that have come to us with the grace of Baptism. While Lent is a powerful self-encounter it is also a gentle nudge to recognize more deeply the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. Whatever our forty-day pilgrimage leads us through, may it be a liberation from anxiety and fear and all that might paralyze our full embrace of the Lord in our lives. Forty days may seem like a long and arduous trek but really, it’s only a hop, skip and a jump on our way to a joyful Easter!
Ash Wednesday’s schedule is: Mass and distribution of ashes at 9:00 am and 5:30 pm. At noon a short prayer service will be offered followed by distribution of ashes. (It is always interesting this day to view the TV personalities bearing ashes, God bless their witness!)
You can find the schedule for Lenten liturgies and devotions in the bulletin each week. Treat it as a “little angel” encouraging you along the way.
Have a great Lent!
