Dear Friends,

The season of Lent is upon us! Throughout these 40 days we will be encouraged to "put on" the vestments of Lent: PRAYER, FASTING AND ALMSGIVNG. Throughout these days we are invited to follow Christ into the "desert" so that we can prepare ourselves to celebrate days of Holy Week and come to a glorious Easter with our hearts renewed in the gift of God's great love. On Ash Wednesday as the ashes are placed upon our forehead we hear the words: TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL! Throughout these days that's exactly what we try to do. We open our hearts to God's grace at work within us and enter into the process of on-going conversion and transformation.

During these weeks we hear three very powerful passages. When people from the parish are paring to celebrate the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil we take the gospels for three of the Sundays of Lent from the gospel of John. Each one is meant to draw us more deeply into the power and beauty of these Lenten days. One is the story of the Samaritan woman who comes to the well to draw water and encounters Jesus, who invites her to drink from the stream of life giving waters. It is an invitation to each of us to enter more deeply into the gift of God's abundant love and be filled with the life giving waters of God's abundant love. Another gospel is the story of the man born blind who is healed through the ministry of Jesus. We are also invited to be set free from anything that might blind us from seeing the mystery of God at work within us. This gospel proclaims the gift of God's forgiving love which we are invited to enter into throughout these 40 days. The third gospel that we hear from John is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. This gospel proclaims that the Lord gives us the gift of endless life and sets us free from all that "entombs" us or "binds" us. Jesus speaks to Martha, the sister of Lazarus and asks her: "Do you believe in me? It is the same question that Jesus asks us throughout these days of Lent. Martha declares: "Yes Lord I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Saviour of the world." With Martha we too echo those words of belief as we follow the way of the gospel throughout these 40 days of Lent.

You might recall that a few weeks ago in the FOCUS I quoted from a short reflection on Lent by James Martin, SJ. He wrote that during Lent we should take time "remembering to bother." He meant that we should take time to chow that we care deeply for ourselves and for others. He says that sin often "is a failure to bother to love." We are called to love abundantly! He wrote: " So maybe this Lent we can ask ourselves: 'Where have I not bothered to love, to show compassion, or to be charitable? Are there lonely friends that I could call, but don't bother to? Is there a sick neighbor who needs help? A family member who could use a kind word? People at work who are struggling? Does my parish need some volunteer work done? Are there charities that I could that i could give money to? Where am i failing to bother? There are many ways to be a good Christian. Sacrificing things in order To be more ascetical is one of them.But even more important than giving up is being more loving. Rather than doing something negative this Lent, why not do something positive? 'It is mercy i desire, not sacrifice," says Jesus. This Lent let's take Jesus at his word"!

Throughout these days there are many opportunities for prayer and reflection being offered at Our Lady of Fatima Parish. These opportunities are printed in FOCUS. You are most welcome to come to any of these opportunities that might fit into your schedule.

Peace,
Fr. Steve