February
3 , 2007
The
Power of the Cross
What
are you doing for Lent?
Sure, the traditional acts of lent are to pray, fast and do good works.
And most people immediately go to the “what shall I give up for
Lent?” ideas.
But what if someone “gave up chocolate” but didn’t
go to mass on Sunday? Wouldn’t that mean they gave up Jesus in
the Eucharist too?
Please don’t give up Jesus for Lent! One of my strongest hopes
is that everyone would give up “giving up going to church”
this Lent. So many of the wonderful people of our parish have given
up going to church on Sundays over the past decades. And now is the
time to give that up -- come to Mass. Our community hurts when you’re
not here. We are like the Body of Christ which is missing an eye or
an ear or a hand. This Lent, why not choose to make the Body complete
again. Pledge to come to mass each week.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past
Columns:
January 27: How I Turned
Out
January 20: Being Safer
January 13: Conversations
in 2008
January 6: Matthew's Magi
December 30: Matthew's
Magi
Christmas 2007
Homily
Columns from 2007
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns
from 2003
Columns from 2002
Lent comes early
this year -- Ash Wednesday is this week! As a church we go on a kind of
“retreat” for forty days in Lent. The goal of Lent each year
is to reconnect to what it means to be baptized. Come Easter, we’ll
be standing in the new light, professing our baptismal promises.
In the meantime, we enter a time
of purification and enlightenment that prepares us to be ready for the
new commitment. At the same time we journey with the men and women and
young people in our parish who are preparing for baptism this Easter.
This Lenten journey to Baptism
can take a different focus each year. This year we’ll consider the
theme: “The Power of the Cross, The Victory of the Passion.”
Our Baptism meant that we died with Christ so we can rise with him. Despite
the crosses of disappointment, sickness, hurt, misunderstanding, betrayal,
financial stress, etc., we know that we will rise again. As baptized people
we do not let the temporary set-backs of life run or ruin our lives. No!
We reject sin! We are clothed in Christ! We are filled with the life-giving
water of Jesus’ love! We are anointed as God’s chosen ones!
We believe! There is power in the cross, victory in the passion!
On Ash Wednesday, we’ll give
out little crosses that can be carried in our pockets. Instead of seeing
life’s crosses as burdens that will ruin us, we can see the cross
as a sign of hope that promises us new life. We’ll come to understand
that there is a kind of power -- not the kind of power the world revels
in -- but a power that helps us to reject what is wrong in our world,
a power to be free. We’ll see victory in Jesus’ passionate
love for us -- the love that floods us in baptism and each week in the
Eucharist.
I wish us all a fruitful lent.
There will be a number of opportunities to gather for prayer and reflection
(see schedule in next week’s bulletin) and to experience the power
of the cross.
