Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and St. Rose,

I think I must be frozen in February somewhere.  How else did the season of Lent sneak up on me?

This week is Ash Wednesday!  And we begin our six weeks of preparation for the celebration of Easter.  People seem to have a difficult time with the idea of penance.  We live in a time when everything is so plentiful and entertainment such a priority that six weeks of prayer and penance looms above us as something almost impossible to contemplate.
Yet the church offers us these days as a time of retreat.  A time to look at ourselves and to admit to our sinfulness so we can properly celebrate with joy the feast of our salvation.
On Ash Wednesday we will hear the call to engage in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  None of these is easy to do; all require a sacrifice of something.

In our call to prayer, we are asked to give of our time.  To spend time with God.  Praying that we become more aware of His great love for us.  We want to be willing to ask Him to help us to take a long, honest look at ourselves and how we are doing in living our Christian life.  We could say the rosary every day.

In fasting, we are asked to eat less and to give up things that we like. So, if we give up something for Lent, it should be something that we miss enough that it reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.
We don’t just fast from edible things.  We can fast from screen time, phone time, complaining, or other things that we enjoy.  But whatever we give up or fast from, the goal is to think of what Jesus did for me.
   
In almsgiving, we traditionally think of giving money, especially to charity or to the poor.  But we can also give of ourselves.  We can visit someone who is lonely.  We can do an act of kindness for a neighbor.  We can volunteer somewhere.

 The point is. . .Lent is a time for us to use to improve our prayer life, repent of our sins, and grow in our love and gratitude toward Jesus.  May you use this blessed time well.

Msgr. Cox