Monthly Message from Father Al

IS IT ALMOST LENT AGAIN?

It seems as though we have just finished Christmas and already Lent is looming on the horizon at the end of this month.  Ash Wednesday this year falls on February 22nd.  Before we know it people will be “giving up something” and the magazines in the checkout lane at the store will have all sorts of meatless Lenten recipes.  Certainly the season is more than not eating chocolate and having to eat tuna casserole!

The Book of Common Prayer reminds us on Ash Wednesday that people used to take Lent a whole lot more seriously than many do today.  I remember the days when diocesan convention did not DARE to serve meat at the Friday opening banquet or at any other function on a Friday during Lent.  Coming of age in an Anglo-Catholic parish I remember having meatless meals on both Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent.  Oddly enough though, I do not remember our parish clergy talking very much about pardon, absolution, self-examination, and the need of all Christians to continually renew their repentance and faith.  For me this is where both the challenge and importance of Lent impacts on my life.

So what are we going to do this Lent?  We have ordered Lenten Meditations in a booklet form once again from Episcopal Relief and Development.  To go along with this we have ordered little cardboard boxes to put money into to support the work and ministry of Episcopal Relief and Development.  I sincerely hope that each person in our parish will use this tool in their personal Lenten discipline.  In addition, our Wednesday evening program will focus this year on money.  In this time of economic struggle for many we will look at how we earn, spend, and save our money in relation to our faith and what The Bible says about money.  I hope that many will join us for a potluck meal at 6:00 p.m. starting the Wednesday after Ash Wednesday (February 29th).

But there are other ways in which to examine your life more closely.  We can read a book, spend some time each day in meditation or prayer.  We can help someone in need, or we can add a service to our weekly practice.  The possibilities are many, and the cost in both time and money are very small.  The rewards however are “out of this world” and I would encourage you to listen to the words of the Ash Wednesday liturgy carefully, prayerfully, and with a renewed interest.

It is Lent again!  Make something of it.

      Faithfully, 

Al