The following is a blog from Franciscan Media, posted by Diane M. Houdek , who is the Director of Content for the organization. Reprinted with permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved.
We might think that the hope of Lent has to do with our hope that we will get through it, that we will come to the end of it. We see Lent as an obstacle course we need to navigate in order to get to the great feast of Easter. But while the Lenten season is indeed preparation for our Easter celebration, the hope of this season is that we will find our lives transformed by the many ways we encounter God’s Word, by the richness of the Scripture readings chosen to encourage, to challenge, to confront, to comfort. Focusing only on the end goal would cause us to miss so much along the way.
The greatest hope of Lent is the discovery that it’s not only about penance, deprivation, spiritual struggles, and rooting out sin in our lives. Those are often the things we do during Lent. But the hope of Lent lies in what God does. From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has made mercy his hallmark. It’s no surprise that he declared a special year dedicated to the contemplation of mercy.
Pope Francis wants us to realize that God’s mercy and grace surround us not just in special times and places but always and everywhere. Lent is a time to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary, to be surprised by God’s mercy when we least expect it. As the season begins, think about the hopes you have for Lent this year. Think about what changes you want to see in your life, in the world. Let the words of Pope Francis guide you on a journey of bringing those hopes to fulfillment.
With its invitations to conversion, Lent comes providentially to awaken us, to rouse us from torpor, from the risk of moving forward by inertia. The exhortation which the Lord addresses to us through the prophet Joel is strong and clear: “Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12). Why must we return to God? Because something is not right in us, not right in society, in the Church and we need to change, to give it a new direction. And this is called needing to convert! Once again Lent comes to make its prophetic appeal, to remind us that it is possible to create something new within ourselves and around us, simply because God is faithful, always faithful, for he cannot deny himself, he continues to be rich in goodness and mercy, and he is always ready to forgive and start afresh.
Taking the Word to Heart
People often remark on the way our churches are filled on Ash Wednesday. It’s not a holy day of obligation. No one is required to attend Mass or receive blessed ashes. But there’s something about the beginning of this season of Lent that draws us in, calls us to return to sanity, to a bit of austerity, to a change of heart and mind. It’s a second chance at our new year’s resolutions, long since broken and forgotten. It’s a second chance at making changes in our lives. For some people, it’s no less than a second chance at life. That something that draws us is God’s grace. And it’s drawing us back to God’s merciful embrace.
There’s something attractive about Lent beginning in the middle of an ordinary week, catching us in the midst of our daily occupations and asking us to take time out to find God there. Lent doesn’t take us away from our ordinary lives, but rather it invites us to bring a new and holy attention to those activities. This should be the way with all of our spiritual practices. We take time apart in order to return to our daily activities with new inspiration. God will always surprise us with possibilities when we least expect them. Let this Lent be one of those surprises.
Bringing the Word to Life
The prophet Joel calls for a public ritual of repentance. Jesus reminds his followers that our deepest need is between ourselves and the Father. Both are necessary. Which do you need this Lent?
How might your Lenten observances contain a healthy balance of public and private prayer? Choose something this Lent that will enhance your day-to-day interactions with the people in your life.
Pope Francis Prays
In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could harden our hearts, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of God’s boundless love, to taste his tenderness.
Here is the link to the article at Franciscan Media: Media https://www.franciscanmedia.org/the-hope-of-lent/
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In Yuma On March 1, we had our Rite of Election at St. John Neumann Church welcoming 74 people living in the Yuma / La Paz Vicariate as they continue their journey toward full membership with the Church. Later, I celebrated a Confirmation at the parish.
On Monday, I had the opportunity to read to some of the students at St. Francis Assisi School.
Yesterday evening, we held the annual St. John Paul II Awards where I presented award to teens for their work as Missionary Disciples, Missionaries of Mercy or Liturgical Leadership.
This morning (Weds., March 4) I will confer the sacrament of confirmation on young people at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Summerton. Tomorrow, I will celebrate a Confirmation Mass for students at Immaculate Conception School. Later in the day, I will celebrate a Confirmation Mass for others from the parish. There is one other Confirmation Mass for students of St. Francis of Assisi Parish on Friday.
Congratulations! To the Salpointe Catholic Lancers for winning their first state boys’ basketball championship Feb. 29, upsetting Peoria High School in overtime, 54-48.
Evan Nelson led the Lancers with 17 points. Salpointe’s defense held the Panthers scoreless in the extra session. Salpointe had lost in the title game in 2017 and 2018 and fell in the semifinals last year.
The class 4A finals at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum featured 11 lead changes; neither team led by more than seven points.
With five starting seniors, Salpointe led in the closing minute of regulation before Peoria tied the game on an offensive rebound.
Welcome Socorro Gourdin, to the Pastoral Center as part of the Parish Accounting Team.
Socorro will be working part-time Tuesday through Friday
Please pray For the soul of
Maria del Socorro Carranza de Fragoso, mother of Father Manuel Fragoso, V.F. of the Yuma / La Paz Vicariate and pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Yuma. Ms. Fragoso died
March 2 in Mexico. Father Fragoso and other family members were present with her at her death. Please pray for the family at this time.
For the soul of
William “
Bill” Fred Patient, 85, who passed away Feb. 25. Mr. Patient served on the Catholic Foundation Board of Directors from 2009-2013 and who also was a member of The Catholic Tuition Support Organization (CTSO) Board of Directors from 2013-2019.
His Funeral Mass was held at St. Odilia's Church today (March 4) at 11:00 a.m. with interment at Holy Hope Cemetery. The family asks that donations in memory of William Patient to be made to the "Bill and Bonnie Patient Scholarship" fund in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, #1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63130, or to Saint Jude Children's Research Children Hospital at stjude.org
Upcoming Barrio Viejo Home Tour to benefit repairs at the Lalo Guerrero Apartments of the Pio Decimo Center
Saturday, April 4
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Advance tickets are $25. Purchase
online at Facebook.com/Pio Decimo Center.
Tickets will cost $30 (cash or check) on the day of the tour. Purchase tickets at 18
th Street and South Convent Avenue.
Tour nine homes built between 1880 and 2019 in this National Historic District. Activities include an exhibit sponsored by the Tucson Barrio Painter’s group including works created in the neighborhood and a fiesta at the Lalo Guerrero Complex.