From the Deacon’s Desk 3/1/20

Dear Friends:

Where does the time go? It seems we were just singing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful “and here we are on the first Sunday in Lent. Time to start thinking about what we will do during Lent to bring ourselves closer to our Lord. Now we all know that we are called to fast regularly and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and the other Fridays during Lent. I’m sure we are all ready to take on these penances in order to fulfill our obligations. I wonder though if we could do a little bit better. Could we do just a little bit more to make this Lent more meaningful.

I had a priest friend who used to go into a restaurant and deliberately order something he didn’t like. That was his penance! I’m not so sure any of us are ready for that kind of sacrifice. There are however many things we could do to make this Lent a special time.

Perhaps this Lent we could do something different. How about a positive sacrifice? Instead of offering to do the dishes or take the car for an oil change……why not just do it. How about cleaning your spouse’s glasses (please make sure you know how to clean them properly first)? Take out the trash before the other person has a chance to do it. Come to Stations of the Cross as a family.

You get the idea. There are many things we could do that would make our family’s or co-worker’s life a little easier. There are lots of opportunities to share your faith with family or a friend. This could be a great start to living the way Jesus asked us to. It’s worth a try don’t you think? Who knows, you may start something that will last forever! Wouldn’t that be a great Lent?

Peace and All Good,

Deacon Jim