Dear Parishioners:
Well, believe it or not, Lent is upon us! Easter is early this year – March 31 – so that means that Lent is very early as well. It seems like we were just singing Christmas carols!
During the Lenten season, there will be a variety of Spiritual Opportunities that will take place. I urge you to take advantage of these Lenten Spiritual Opportunities. Allow the Lord to touch your heart by taking advantage of these spiritual opportunities. But, as with all opportunities, you have to choose to participate or not. Make the choice for God!
Think about coming to Mass one extra time during the week. We have Mass every day at 6:45 AM, 9:00 AM and 12:10 PM. In addition, every Monday night we have Mass at 7:30 PM, followed by the Miraculous Medal Novena. We will pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday at 12:45 PM and at 7:30 PM. Every WEDNESDAY evening, there will be a special Spiritual Opportunity as well. See the Bulletin for details.
I particularly want everyone to set aside March 4-6 for our PARISH MISSION. We are having “old home” week: Fr. Shibi, Fr. Doug Arcoleo and Fr. Sean Magaldi will be leading the evenings. The Mission will be centered around 40 Hours Devotion. Carve out time for the Parish Mission now! I am confident that you will be glad that you did. Bring a friend, especially if he or she has been away from the church for a period of time. Be a good evangelizer! Spread the word!
On Ash Wednesday, the second reading at Mass was taken from St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians. In that passage, St. Paul reminds us that we are “ambassadors for Christ.” That means that you and I represent Christ in a special way, just as any ambassador represents his or her own country and political leadership.
If then, we are “ambassadors for Christ,” we need to ask ourselves: “Am I a good ambassador for Christ?” An even better question to ask is this: “How can I become an even better ambassador for Christ?” I think the Lenten program here at St. Patrick’s will help you to become a better ambassador for Christ. The list of our Lenten Spiritual Opportunities is located on page 5 of the bulletin. Take a look! Challenge yourself to grow spiritually this Lenten season. Bring a friend!
These Lenten opportunities are simply that: opportunities. Take advantage of these opportunities; allow the Lord, who loved you so much that He died for you on the Cross, to touch your heart and bring you closer to Him. Remember the old adage: You can bring a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. These Spiritual Opportunities will bring you to the water, but YOU have to choose to drink it. Drink deeply of God’s water!
Sometimes we say, “I would love to do these things, but I am just too busy.” St. Francis de Sales once said, “Every Christian needs a half-hour of prayer each day, except when he is busy, then he needs an hour!” Very wise words from a very saintly man!
In Christ,
Fr. Brian