Today, on this last Sunday of Ordinary Time before the Season of Lent, we are reminded in the parable to look at Jesus as our guide in life. He calls us to remove any planks in our sight that can prevent us from seeing Him. He calls us always to be attached to Him, who is the Vine. Then attached to Him, having removed sin from our eyes, He calls us to be guides for others, pointing to Him, and bearing fruit in acts of love, helping them by our patient and loving example to remove the specks from their eyes so that they can see Jesus. In the process, the Lord teaches us not to judge people, but He does teach us to judge actions.
This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent. The word “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 – 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 we will have many different spiritual opportunities – weekly Stations of the Cross, Lenten Parish Mission, Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the Eucharistic Congress - to respond in our own ways to God’s love in our lives. 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 ages 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.
This weekend in the diocese, we will conduct the Bishop’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. The Appeal provides an opportunity to support critical funding for the education of our future priests, the ministries of Catholic Charities, Catholic Schools that serve the poorest communities, students with special needs and Catholic Schools where the Catholic population is not yet large enough to ensure full enrollment and Catholic Evangelization.
Today, when you are handed an envelope at Mass, please make a pledge if your circumstances allow. Your gift should be something in addition to what you give to your parish. Every gift is important and as one large family, we can do so much more! If you received your pledge form in the mail, and have already returned it, thank you! On behalf of Bishop Estévez and myself, I thank you for your generous contribution to the Bishop’s Annual Stewardship Appeal. May God bless you!
I also want to share with you an update regarding our St. Luke Annual Spring Festival. The festival, which is such a significant part of parish life in the last several years, will be moved to November. Some circumstances beyond our control, mainly ride companies who provide the midway fun are no longer available in Florida in the month of May. Their business takes them up north when the weather is much cooler. After long discussions, conversations, and deliberation, we have identified a new company who will provide us excellent quality of rides and fun in November of 2019. Since this year we will move our Annual Spring Festival in May to the Annual Fall Festival in November. We are currently working to have a fundraiser this Spring to support the income necessary to balance our budget since we will not have income from the festival for this Fiscal Year. We need your support and participation as more information will come soon.
Wishing you a blessed week and beginning of Lent.
With prayers,
Fr. Andy