Lent
Catholic Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (March 5) and ends with the Holy Triduum of Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper (April 17), Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord (April 18), and Holy Saturday (April 19). Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord is celebrated on April 20.
Lent is the solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry. The three traditional pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through the three pillars of Lent we journey to develop a closer relationship to God. The 40 days of Lent should be filled with reflection, service and prayer
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Lent comes from an Old English word meaning “springtime”. Catholic Christians attempt to discern how they have been living as disciples of Christ. Thus, Lent takes on a penitential character, which stems from our shared realization that we are sinners and do not always act as images of Christ.
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The sacrament of reconciliation or confession takes on a prominent role within the Lenten season. Reconciliation provides many Catholics with an opportunity to ask forgiveness for deliberate, freely chosen actions that have damaged relationship with others – with God, brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow human beings, and nature. This is also an opportunity to renew and recommit ourselves to our baptismal calling. Through the waters of baptism, we become members of the Body of Christ. In the sacrament of reconciliation, we celebrate our commitment to this baptismal gift.
During Lent, we (re)prioritize our relationship with the Lord and place Him at the center of our lives. Here are some opportunities to dig deeper in prayer
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Join a faith-sharing group....sign up HERE
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Meditate on the final steps of Jesus through the Way of the Cross- Fridays at 3pm
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​Experience the gift of Reconciliation- Wed March 26, 7pm or any Sunday
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Spend time in the chapel in prayer
The main objective for a Christian is to fast from sin. That said, we might devote extra attention during Lent to overcoming some sinful behavior. Alternatively, we might deny ourselves some common pleasure that is not sinful in and of itself (ex. social media, caffeine, alcohol, snacking between meals, etc.). Fasting from these things increases our reliance upon God: in cutting out non-essential parts of our lives, we can replace that time with opportunities for prayer or almsgiving.
Almsgiving acknowledges God as the source of all life. Everything that we are and have comes from God. Rather than selfishly keeping those gifts to ourselves, we are called to share them. Some give alms by donating their time and talents by volunteering. Others give alms by making a financial donation to a local charity, or participating in our drive to fund the installation of a water well for a village in Tanzania. For more information, please click HERE.