I have two friends who have a really bad sense of direction. They could drive out of their home garage, take a left turn, and be immediately lost! Seriously! It is extraordinary. 

 

However, they both deal with it differently. One never admits he is lost and keeps driving. He takes a left turn, then right turn, then goes straight with great certainty but he is completely lost! Eventually I will ask where are we going? And he will name the destination  and I’ll say we have passed that place twice already! 

 

My other friend will always admit he is lost and will take a U-turn and say, “I’m lost. I need to go back!”will I help him get his bearings and we get back on track. My second friend is easier to be with because there is no pretense as to who he is…and I love him for that humility!

 

Lent is about admitting that in our discipleship, we often get lost, and we need to take a U-turn. Fundamentally, we lose our way a little, we are all sinners and Lent is the time to admit it. We can say, “I am lost. I need to take a U-turn” turning back to God. We call this turning “metanoia” and it literally means, “turn around.” 

 

On Ash Wednesday, when we put ashes on our forehead, we were proclaiming to the whole world that we are sinners, and we are repenting and turning back to God. The Church gives us three ways to help us stay on task: Prayer, fasting and almsgiving. They are interconnected realities. When we pray, we are asking for insight to see our sins, to see the errors of our ways. When we fast, we deliberately do without something we enjoy so we can be reminded how blessed we are and to think of those who go without the basics of life. Those two practices lead us to give alms, to serve others who are in need. 

 

We do all this because we know that we can get distracted from leading a life of a good disciple. Even though we come to Church each week, say our prayers and try our best  to be good and do good deeds, we still lose our way. We may find ourselves caught in the bad habit of saying some wrong words to people. Or maybe we find ourselves being lazy and selfish, and not willing to help others. We all get lost a little differently.

 

As we celebrate the first Sunday of Lent and listen to the gospel of Matthew’s rendition of Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, we also submit to 40 days of Lent. Let us acknowledge the temptations and mistakes in our lives and admit “I am lost” and “I am a sinner.” As a physical reminder of that sinfulness and lost state, we have prayer stones for every person at the doors of Church. Please take one and keep it in a prominent place in your house or car. Put it on our desk at work or at home,  your purse or wallet, in your pocket or your shoe! Put it somewhere you see it every day and remind yourself of your promise of Lent to turn back to God. Let the stone become a reminder of keeping this time…sacred. 

I encourage you this Lent to find the time  to join us at our Lenten events:

  • Daily Mass, Monday to Friday, 6:30am & 8:30am
  • Adorations, Tuesdays 9:00am-2:00pm in the Chapel
  • Stations of the Cross followed by Soup Suppers, Fridays at 6:00pm
  • Men’s Faith Sharing Group, Thursdays at 7:00-8:15am
  • Retreat evenings with John Angotti & I, March 13, 14 & 15 from 7:00pm-8:30pm
  • Taize Prayer Service will conclude the retreat on March 15.

May this Lent be a time of conversion, a time of renewal, a time of healing, a time of prayer, a time of fasting,  a time of giving alms … a sacred time.

 

God bless,

 

Fr. Brendan