Message from our Community Director – Mar 2019

Greetings my dear Sisters and Brothers

Pope Francis begins his letter for Lent 2019….

“Each year, through Mother Church, God “gives us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed… ” (Preface of Lent I).”

Usually we think of Lent as a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving  and not necessarily as a joyful season, but, it is really such a blessed season, Sisters and Brothers, let us try to open our hearts to this time of grace.

In days of old in T&T, and also in other countries, it was actually the carnival season, instituted as the precursor to Lent, that would have assisted us on the journey. It was ….enjoy yourself, play mas, party and then at midnight Tuesday night, on to Lent, a quiet time with no parties or party music, not even on the radio stations.  It was a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving when we were also familiar with, penance, make reparation, deny yourself, conversion, doing something nice for someone and the like.

So, in effect, the society assisted us on the journey of Lent. But, now it is different. We have to, as it were, do it on our own, out of the love we have for God who, out of the love He has for us, sent His Son into the world to suffer and die that we may have life. Maybe this is not such a bad thing. It is now incumbent on us individually and because of Love, to make the journey of the joyful season of Lent to Easter. It is an opportunity for each of us to decide to and go into the desert to meet God as Jesus did.

“….. the “Lenten” period of forty days spent by the Son of God in the desert of creation had the goal of making it once more that garden of communion with God that it was before original sin (cf. Mk 1:12-13; Is 51:3).” (Pope Francis)

I love the idea that during this time I could be once more in that ‘garden of communion’ with my God. Wow!

I love the idea that to help me be in that Garden, my priority in this season is prayer, fasting and almsgiving and we could include penance.

I love the idea that my heart and my mind could be renewed on this journey in such a way, that my love for God and all his people and creation, could be a point of encounter for someone to come to know and love Jesus my Lord.

We are living in very difficult times in the Church and in the World and we cannot deny the absolute need for God. We cannot deny also the need for deeply spiritual people bringing hope and healing to a broken world. Remember, Christ has no body here on earth, but yours and mine…

Let us pray for one another and let us avail of the spiritual exercises and retreats offered to accompany us on the journey.

I pray that our journey of Lent will bring us all to a new place, inner and outer.

Blessings and love in the hearts of Jesus and Mary…….Rhonda