I always think it’s good that Lent is in the
Spring, when there is new growth and new life, because Lent is a time
of new beginning. It is a beautiful time, because it invites us to
reflect on what we are about. In denying ourselves we remember what
is really important. Material things are important, but they are not
the most important. When we die, none of our spiritual goods will
come with us, only the spiritual part of us—our soul—will live
on. Denying ourselves helps us to remember this. It is a kind of
spiritual purification. We are also preparing for the greatest event
in history, when Christ won eternal life for us. If this had not
happened, we could not go to heaven when we die. It’s that simple.
The three main components of Lent are prayer,
fasting and almsgiving. Hopefully, denying ourselves will also make
us turn more to prayer, because we are reminded more of the
spiritual. When we come here each week it is not because the mass is
so spectacular and entertaining, or just makes us feel good. It is
because we believe that Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist and speaks
to us through the Scriptures. Part of the sacrifice we make each week
is also the giving of our time to come here. God has given us our
whole lifetime and we try to offer some of that time back to him in
thanks, taking time to worship him as He asks us to. It always makes
me sad when I hear people say that there were other things that they
needed to do instead. Even if people are staying with you, what could
be a greater witness than to say that you have to go to mass because
it’s Sunday. They won’t die without you for an hour.
Another part of Lent—and indeed the whole of our
Christian life—is almsgiving, or put simply; giving to help the
needy. Jesus mentioned this many times during his life on earth. ‘The
poor will be with you always’. He used the story of the rich man
and Lazarus, the beggar who sat at his front gate. Jesus told the
story that the rich man was condemned when he died, not because he
was rich, but because he completely ignored Lazarus who was right
under his nose. In other words, he couldn’t have missed him, but he
chose to ignore him and he was condemned for that.
It says in the Acts of the Apostles that when Paul
met up with Peter and the other Apostles, they agreed that Paul would
preach to the gentiles and Peter to the Jews, but it says that the
one thing they insisted on was that they would collect money for the
poor, which they did.
We have a responsibility to look out for those
around us who are in need and there are more than you probably
realize. In south Florida, just under 23% of children go to bed
hungry each night. The only proper meal that many of them get is in
school. This means that when school is out they won’t get fed
properly.
A few years ago, when I was working in St. Martha’s
church in Sarasota, I got talking to a homeless man. He told me that
he had been in the army and served his country. He had later done
time in jail and now he was living on the streets. What struck me
most was when he said, ‘If you think living in prison is hard, you
should try living on the streets of Sarasota.’ People are
struggling all around us.
One of the most organized ways that we are presented
with for giving, is through the Catholic Faith Appeal. Each year our
parishes are presented with a goal, based on the previous year’s
collections. This year it is $126,000. I know that many people are
under the impression that this money is going to the bishop and the
diocese, but that is not true. The diocese has to process it, but
essentially it enables us to run all the programs in the diocese that
support so many people. Some of those programs include Catholic
Charities, Pastoral Outreach & Ministries; missions, poor
parishes and convents; Evangelization; Worship; Respect Life; Peace &
Social Justice; Vocations & Seminarians; Catholic Education;
Diocesan administrative support services, and many other programs
too.
The CFA is also a great opportunity for our parish,
because as soon as it is payed off, we get to keep any further
donations 100%. We don’t have to pay any assessment on them. I also have an obligation to contribute to the CFA and I will be contributing.
‘Repent and believe in the Gospel.’
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