From the Pastor's Desk: February 23, 2020

From the Pastor’s Desk:                                                                                                          
February 23, 2020
 
     On the last Sunday of this part of Ordinary Time before Lent – Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent is just a few days away– the Gospel brings us to the end of the Sermon on the Mount. The message from today’s readings is a very meaningful way to prepare us to enter the season of penance, reconciliation, and renewal with the universal call to holiness. “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God am holy.” In the words of Jesus, He reminds us, “to be perfected as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The main characteristic of holiness is to allow God to carry out His work of perfection in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. The path to perfection is not principally our work but our cooperation with God’s work, to allow Him, to give God permission to help us, to fashion us into His image and likeness, to form us to love like He loves, to be merciful as He is merciful. To be holy is to believe it, embrace it, and live it, by allowing God to do what He wishes to do in us. To be holy is to allow God to raise up the saint in you. To be holy is to be able to dream to become the best version of ourselves and to believe that your future can be better than your past.
 
     This weekend we are invited to participate and support the Bishop’s Annual Stewardship Appeal (BASA). The annual theme, “One Faith, One Family” reminds us that we are members of something much greater than ourselves.  This 150 ^th anniversary year of the Diocese of St. Augustine offers us an opportunity to join as a faith community in support of the beautiful mission of our Church.  The Bishop’s Appeal provides financial support to seminarian education, our local Catholic Charities, our Catholic Schools and Religious Education Programs, efforts in Catholic evangelization, and housing support for our retired priests. In addition, there are many more diocesan directed ministries that receive support in part through the funds raised. Your support is greatly appreciated.
 
     This upcoming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday- the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent. Lent comes from an Old English word that means “springtime”. It is the 40 day period in the year of the Church for spiritual preparation for Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. It is the season of significant prayer, penance, and almsgiving through grace and conversion, reconciliation and renewal of baptismal promises.
 
     Although Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation, many members of the parish will want to keep it as a solemn beginning to their Lenten observance. For us Catholics, it is a reminder that Lent is very serious business. “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” strikes at the heart of the meaning of Lent that prepares us for the manifestation of God’s love in Jesus’ self-giving of His life and His Resurrection. During Lent this year instead of traditional ways of giving things up, let’s focus on doing something- something bold to become a better husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, friend, neighbor…to do something that is life-changing. This is the perfect time, not only to abandon self-destructive habits, but also to form new life-giving habits, habits that can extend beyond the 40 days of Lent. Therefore, I strongly encourage every parishioner to join small groups as a part of our Dynamic Parish Initiative to reflect upon the book Rediscovering Saints and sign up for the Best Lent Ever program. You will also receive the Best Lent Ever journal to capture your thoughts and ideas as you pray and reflect upon every day of the Lenten journey. In addition to the spiritual opportunities, please take advantage of the physical needs- weekly Fish Fry Dinners before the Stations of the Cross.
 
     On Fridays of Lent, Catholics age 14 and older abstain from meat. Why Fridays? Because it unites us to the day of our Lord's death. Why abstain from meat? Because during biblical times, meat was considered a food of rejoicing, since it was not always available. We abstain from eating meat (“the food of rejoicing”) in mourning for Jesus and the death He suffered for our sins.
 
Wishing you a blessed week and best Lent ever!
 
With prayers,
Fr. Andy