WELCOME 2018
ADVENT 2018
LENT 2019
WELCOME 2019
ADVENT 2019

A quick note written in ink on the back of your hand to pick up groceries.

A phone alarm to remind you to cycle your laundry.

A calendar event to call and reschedule with the dentist.

A rock in your pocket so you don’t for get to call your sister that evening (maybe this one is just me!).

We have lots of ways to remind us of things we would otherwise easily forget – even important things like birthdays, anniversaries, and picking your kids up from weekly sports practice. And thank goodness we do! We are easily forgetful people, and the busyness of modern life can throw in distractions to make us veer off course. Reminders are necessary in our lives – and maybe even more so in our lives of faith. And there is no bigger reminder than the season we are about to enter into: Lent!

I’m going to go ahead and bet that Lent is no one’s favorite season in the church (Personally, I get really grumpy when we stop singing “Alleluia” before the Gospel). However, Lent is a NEEDED season. Lent is the calendar event or rock in our pocket that reminds us that we need to put God first in our life. The beauty of the liturgical year is that we get this reminder EVERY YEAR, whether we think we need it or not. Lent has come – it is time for fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. These ancient practices force us to prioritize time spent deepening our encounter with Christ no matter if we do it willingly or kicking and screaming.

How will you use your reminder this year? What practices will you take up to help prioritize your faith over all of the other choices in front of you? Because our focus in the parish this year is on Encounter, I’d like to suggest that the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are a great place to start this year. Do you have them all memorized already (Really? Great job!)? If not, here is a quick refresher:

Corporal Works of Mercy: Feed the Hungry; Give Drink to the Thirsty; Shelter the Homeless; Visit the Sick; Visit the Imprisoned; Bury the Dead; Give Alms to the Poor.

Spiritual Works of Mercy: Counsel the Doubtful; Instruct the Ignorant; Admonish the Sinner; Comfort the Sorrowful; Forgive Injuries; Bear Wrongs Patiently; Pray for the Living and the Dead

Why do I suggest these practices for our Year of Encounter? Because each of these forces us to interact with another person in some way. And that interaction, if we do it well, will allow us to be changed by being radically present to another person. The Corporal Works of Mercy have us interact with others in a “bodily” manner (corporal here comes from the word for physical bodies). The Spiritual Works of Mercy extend physical encounters into our interior lives as we remember others in our prayers or care for their spiritual development. The two lists complement each other – praying for others often leads to action, and vice versa.

Let’s use our Lenten “calendar reminder” this year to find ways to put God first in our lives. I’m encouraging our families to take a step in faith by practicing the Works of Mercy as a way to grow closer to Christ. Pick a timeframe: once a day? Once a week? Once a month? Then pick a Work of Mercy – comfort the sorrowful or visit the sick. How can your family engage in that practice in the timeframe you chose? This doesn’t have to be something revolutionary. Visiting an elderly relative in a nursing home is just as much a work of Mercy as starting a non-profit.

Instead of trying to change the whole world in a night, use this Lenten prompting to go do something. Take that first step of mercy, and see where it leads you. The second step after that will be easier, and the third easier than that! Don’t be afraid to try something new – and try it as a family! Take time to debrief after – maybe even stop off at Saint Pius and say a prayer in the chapel after you serve. After all – you just cared for Christ as you served your neighbor! I hope that by embracing this Lent as a reminder, we can all grow in our encounter with those in need, and in so doing, encounter Christ. 

-Robby