Pastor’s Letter: February 18, 2024

Pastor’s Letter: February 18, 2024

16 Feb 2024 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear friend,

On this First Sunday of Lent we hear the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. After His Baptism, when the voice of the Father is heard identifying Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus enters the desert to pray. His forty days in the desert is a time of preparation for His ministry. Jesus spent the time praying and fasting in order to have a proper perspective on His ministry ordered toward the Father. To many of us, it seems when we try to get closer to God, the things of this world seem more alluring. This is what Jesus faced during His time in the desert. He was tempted to turn stones to bread, to cast himself off a high place, and to worship the Enemy. Each of these temptations were about denying himself, denying His true relationship to the Father, or to misuse His power. These are the same temptations we all face when we intensify our efforts to grow closer to God. We are often tempted to misuse our gifts, to deny our gifts, or to test our relationship with God or others for selfish gain. The invitation of Lent to pray, fast, and give alms are invitations to do something more for God and others. When we make the attempt to change or grow aspects of our lives, road blocks may come. The response Jesus gives to His temptation in the desert is to focus our attention on the Father, make sure our words and actions lead us closer to the Father, and to dismiss anything that would challenge us to keep God as the most important part of our lives. May Lent allow us the opportunity to refocus our intentions on God so that our lives are evidence of our Christian faith.

Mark’s Gospel this weekend also states “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” The revelation of the kingdom of God by Jesus is one of the most powerful reflections in the Gospel. In short, wherever the King is, the kingdom of God is present. We believe, as Christians, that Jesus is the King and Jesus is everywhere. Thus, the kingdom is God is everywhere. The more we ponder our presence in God’s Kingdom, in this world and our future home in heaven, the more we seek to be worthy of dwelling in God’s presence. While our fallen and sinful lives makes it clear that none of us is worthy of God’s forgiveness, His Mercy is the gift of that forgiveness even though we don’t deserve it. As we pray our way through Lent, let us all envision Jesus Christ being present with us all the time. May we weigh all our thoughts, words and actions as the Lord Jesus is always with us. The closeness of Christ to us in life, in prayer, and in the Eucharist allows us to realize His desire for our spiritual potential. The potential to be a saint, to be holy, is a call for each of us. May this Lent encourage us to renew our commitment to spiritual renewal and personal accountability. To guide our parish Lenten journey, we have added weekday confessions at 5 pm and Mass at 5:30 pm. The Mass invites us into full communion with Christ. At Mass He teaches us, feeds us, loves us, guides us and ultimately challenges us to live a better life. The sacrament provides us with God’s healing touch, spiritually and emotionally. I pray this Lent is a grace-filled time for you and your family. Have a great week.

In Christ’s Peace

Father David