3rd Sunday of Lent (Year A)

Mersey Leven Catholic Parish

OUR VISION

To be a vibrant Catholic Community 

unified in its commitment 

to growing disciples for Christ 

Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney 
Mob: 0417 279 437 
mike.delaney@aohtas.org.au
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence:  Fr Phil McCormack  
Mob: 0437 521 257
pmccormack43@bigpond.com
Postal Address: PO Box 362, Devonport 7310
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street, Devonport 7310 
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160 
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Pastoral Council Chair:  Felicity Sly
Mob: 0418 301 573
fsly@internode.on.net

Mersey Leven Catholic Parish Weekly Newsletter: mlcathparish.blogspot.com.au

Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au

Weekly Homily Podcast: mikedelaney.podomatic.com 

Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.

         

PLENARY COUNCIL PRAYER

Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia 
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another 
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other 
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future, 
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.   
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.

Parish Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for gathering us together 
and calling us to serve as your disciples.

You have charged us through Your Son, Jesus, with the great mission

  of evangelising and witnessing your love to the world.

Send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we discern your will

 for the spiritual renewal of our parish.

Give us strength, courage, and clear vision 
as we use our gifts to serve you.

We entrust our parish family to the care of Mary, our mother,

and ask for her intercession and guidance 
as we strive to bear witness

 to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.

Amen.

Our Parish Sacramental Life

Baptism: Arrangements are made by contacting Parish Office. Parents attend a Baptismal Preparation Session organised with a Priest.

Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist: Are received following a Family–centred, Parish-based, School-supported Preparation Program.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: prepares adults for reception into the Catholic community.

Marriage: arrangements are made by contacting one of our priests - couples attend a Pre-marriage Program

Anointing of the Sick: please contact one of our priests

Reconciliation:  Ulverstone - Fridays (10am - 10:30am), Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm– 5.45pm)

Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport:

Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus 
Benediction with Adoration Devonport:  First Friday each month - commences at 10am and concludes with Mass - in recess until 7th February

Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart Church Community Room, Ulverstone

Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – 6:30pm Mondays, Community Room, Ulverstone 

Weekday Masses 17th – 20th March, 2020                                           

Tuesday:       No Mass … St Patrick 

Wednesday:   9:30am Latrobe 
Thursday:     10:30am Karingal … St  Joseph
Friday:         9:30am Ulverstone
                 7:00pm Devonport … Stations of the  Cross

                 7:00pm Ulverstone … Stations of the Cross

                              

Next Weekend 21st & 22nd March, 2020

Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin         LWC     

                       6:00pm Devonport 

Sunday Mass:  8:30am Port Sorell    LWC 

                      9:00am Ulverstone 

                10:30am Devonport    LWC
                11:00am Sheffield 

                 5:00pm Latrobe                       

                      

MINISTRY ROSTERS 21st & 22nd March, 2020

Devonport:

Readers: Vigil: A McIntyre, M Williams, C Kiely-Hoye

10:30am: A Hughes, E Barrientos, P Piccolo

Ministers of Communion: Vigil: 1 person required

10.30am: 1 person required

Cleaners: 20th March: M & R Youd

27th March: M & L Tippett, A Berryman

Piety Shop: 21st March: L Murfet 
22nd March: D French

Ulverstone:

Reader/s:  A & F Pisano   Cleaners: K.S.C

Flowers: M Bryan Hospitality:  M Byrne, G Doyle  

Penguin:

Greeters   P Lade, S Ewing Commentator:  J Barker   Readers: Y Downes, T Clayton

Liturgy: S.C. J Setting Up: T Clayton

Care of Church: S Coleman, M Owen

Latrobe:

Reader: M Williams Procession of Gifts: J Hyde

Port Sorell: 

Readers: D Leaman, T Jeffries Cleaners:  C & J Howard

Readings this Week: 3^rd Sunday of Lent – Year A

 First Reading: Exodus 17:3-7

Second Reading:  Romans 5:1-2. 5-8

Gospel: John 4:5-42

PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAYS GOSPEL:

(In this reflection we pray with only part of today’s Gospel. If you have opportunity, you may wish to spend time with the complete text later on.)

Once I have settled my mind and body to pray in the manner that suits me best, I slowly read the text.

Using my imagination and all of my senses, I picture the scene … Jesus in the hot, dry desert, feeling parched by the heat of the sun.

Can I imagine feeling the thirst that Jesus feels?

When Jesus speaks with the woman, what do I notice about their conversation?

Perhaps I place myself by the well and imagine myself as the Samaritan woman. I hear Jesus addressing me by my name and offering me living water.

What am I thirsting for? What is Jesus offering me?

I end my prayer by making my own response to Jesus’s invitation.

When I am ready, I close my prayer slowly with a prayerful sign of the cross.

Readings Next Week: 4^th Sunday of Lent – Year A

 First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1. 6-7. 10-13

Second Reading:  Ephesians 5:8-14

Gospel: John 9: 1-41

             

Your prayers are asked for the sick:  Sand Frankcombe, Judith Xavier, Pat Barker, Paul Richardson, & …

Let us pray for those who have died recently: 
Samuel Lint, Eileen Ryan, Bruce Simpson, Archbishop John Bathersby, Annette McCulloch, Arnold Chave, Kellie Hofmeyer, & … 

Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 11th – 17th March, 2020

Ken Bates, Max Fulton, Beatrice Hocking, Ernest Collings, Amaya Stevens, Bernie O’Sullivan, Edna Chatwin, Nancye Callinan, Frances O’Sullivan, Terence Murphy, Henry Lizotte, Stan Nelson, Norris Castles, Marion Sage, Mavis Jarvis, Archbishop Guilford Young, Adeline Munro, Norma Ellings, Violet Smith, John Smink, Nola Bengtell, Maurice Kelly, Rose Kirkpatrick.

May the souls of the faithful departed, 

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen 

  

Weekly Ramblings

We celebrate with and pray for the Children of our Sacramental Program who are being welcomed at Masses this weekend. These steps of faith are great moments in the life of our community and real opportunities for us to support the work of all parents as they hand on the gift of faith to their children. Their preparation will take a big step next Saturday 21^st as they spend time preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation which they will celebrate in coming weeks.

There is a little bit of the Irish in every one of us and it will come to the fore next week. Due to a Council of Priests Meeting being arranged in Hobart for Tuesday 17^th – St Patrick’s Day – we will celebrate the Feast Day on Wednesday at the 9.30am Mass at Latrobe and this will be followed by a morning tea in the school. Any parishioner wishing to be part of this school celebration is asked to indicate their intention on the notice at St Pat’s Church this weekend.

A reminder that each Friday evening during Lent the Stations of the Cross are celebrated at OLOL and Sacred Heart Churches at 7pm. This is a simple devotion recalling the way of the Cross with reflections and prayer. All Welcome.

Take care on the roads and in your homes,

                             

PROJECT COMPASSION:

 3rd SUNDAY OF LENT

Barry grew up in a tough environment.

With the support of a program from Caritas  Australia’s partner, Red Dust Healing, Barry has overcome many of life’s challenges.

He is now an inspirational father to his four girls and a leader in his community. Please help by donating through Parish boxes, envelopes, or phoning 1800 024 413    www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion.

PRAYERS FOR RELIEF:

As part of the Devonport Christian Churches working together in Holy Week there will be an opportunity for prayer on each of the nights leading up to the gathering at the paranaple Centre on Holy Thursday. Details will be available next weekend – check back here for details!

GRANS VAN:

The month of April has been allocated to our Parish to assist with Gran’s Van on the four Sundays within that month. Help is required as follows a) cooking a stew (meat will be supplied), b) assisting with food distribution from the van, c) driving the van. Helping with b) and c) would take about two hours of your time 6:30pm to 8:30pm. If you are able to assist on any of the Sundays please contact Shirley or Tony Ryan 6424:1508

                                          

THURSDAY 19^th March – Eyes down 7:30pm.  Callers Merv Tippett & Brendan O’Connor

MACKILLOP HILL SPIRITUALITY CENTRE

Spirituality in the Coffee Shoppe   -   Monday 30th March 10.30am –12 noon

You are invited to join us for morning tea and some lively discussion about what’s on your mind. All welcome! We look forward to your company at 123 William St, FORTH. Phone: 6428:3095 No bookings necessary.       Donation appreciated.

                          25th Anniversary - MacKillop Hill  

MacKillop Hill was blessed and opened by Archbishop Eric D’Arcy on 19th March 1995. It has been decided to postpone our celebrations until after Easter.    We are in the process of arranging several gatherings throughout the year so that all those who would like to join us might have an opportunity to do so.   Your ideas are most welcome.   Further details will be available in due course. 

FOOTY TICKETS: 2020 AFL Footy Season starts Friday 20th March.

There will be two weekly winners of $100.00.  The footy margin is for the Friday night game played at the MCG each week. Tickets will be sold at Port Sorell, Devonport and Ulverstone each weekend for $2.00.               

NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE

SEEK THE TRUTH - Acknowledgement and Sorrow for Survivors of Past Sexual Abuse

A ritual will be held to acknowledge the sexual abuse that took place at Marist College and in the Burnie Parish particularly while the Marist Fathers were custodians of both. Survivors of sexual abuse, together with their partners, family members, friends, and others associated with the College and Parish, are warmly invited to attend. A light lunch will follow at the Gardens.

The ritual will take place Saturday 21st March 2020, at 11.00am at the Emu Valley Rhododendron Gardens, 55 Breffny Rd, Romaine. People wishing to attend please contact comms@mrc.tas.edu.au

Inaugural Archdiocesan Mass for Life - 11am Saturday 28th March at Sacred Heart Church, New Town. Archbishop Julian Porteous will be the main celebrant. The Mass will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the publication of Pope St John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae that promoted the building of a culture of life. For more information please contact Ben Smith 6208:6036 or ben.smith@aohtas.org.au.

                             

Letter From Rome
A Lenten Penance we Did Not Choose

Bearing the unwanted cross of the coronavirus  by Robert Mickens, Rome. March 12, 2020. 

This article is from the La-Croix International website - you can access the site here 

but complete full access is via paid subscription

Friday the 13th marked the seventh anniversary of the election of Pope Francis.

But as he began his eighth year as Bishop of Rome, the Catholic faithful of his diocese did not gather for Mass or congregate to pray for him.

At least not in any of the churches and shrines of the city. They had all been shuttered the previous day by the pope's vicar for the diocese, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis.

Francis approved the decision as a way to conform to the drastic measures the Italian government has taken to stop the spread of COVID-19. The disease has already killed more than a thousand people here in Italy the past few weeks.

But the pope obviously changed his mind.

Churches once closed, what can a pope do?

"Drastic measures are not always good," he said at the beginning of a live-streamed Mass early on Friday morning.

And a few hours later Cardinal De Donatis ordered the re-opening of the churches. He said he did so after reassessing the situation with the pope.

In unscripted remarks at Mass, Francis prayed for those who are ill, as well as "pastors who need to accompany the people of God during this crisis."

He also prayed that priests might figure out "the best ways to help" their people, obviously in conformity with the government's anti-coronavirus measures, so that "the holy, faithful people of God" are not abandoned and will "feel accompanied by their pastors."

Cardinal De Donatis' new decree is aimed mainly at keeping parish churches open to the faithful, not the museum-like churches in the historic center of Rome that are largely tourist sites.

All of Italy in lockdown

That makes sense, since there are few if any tourists in the Eternal City right now. Like the rest of Italy, everything and all of us are in total lockdown. There are only rare exceptions.

Restaurants, cafes, pubs and wine bars: closed. Boutiques, clothing stores, home appliance centers and malls: closed. Beauty salons, barbershops, gyms, cinemas, theatres, sports venues… The list goes on and on. Almost everything is closed.

Among the few places that can remain open are grocery stores, pharmacies and, oddly enough, tobacconists – ostensibly to allow people to pay their utilities and other bills.

But even if these shops are still selling cigarettes, hardly anyone here is making a fuss. Who would begrudge smokers their pleasurable vice at a time when nerves are on edge and we're all living, more or less, under house arrest?

This is no stroll in the park

The latest decree from the Italian government prohibits people from leaving their homes except to buy food or medicines, go to work or to the doctor. If you have a dog, you can take it out to do its business. And if you are feeling a little stir crazy, it is permissible to go for a walk or a jog – as long as you keep a safe distance from others.

But you better have downloaded and filled out the special self-declaration form available on the internet to justify why you are out. Police can stop you and ask to see that piece of paper at anytime and for any reason. If you are not out for a valid reason of necessity, you could be fined and even jailed.

All these measures are meant to send a strong message – the Italian authorities are deadly serious about combating COVID-19 and they will not tolerate any frivolousness from anybody.

Amazingly, this draconian action seems to have tamed that stereotypical Italian trait of being undisciplined and "creative" when it comes to following rules and regulations. The vast majority of people in the country are actually toeing the line with regards to the anti-coronavirus measures. And they say they even agree with the restrictions.

Not everyone's a happy camper

But not everyone has willingly signed up to this "forced home confinement." Some of us were really annoyed, and even angered, when the lockdown was first announced. It seemed exaggerated and over the top.

And really inconvenient.

My primary mental health care provider – the gym! – was closed, and it won't re-open for at least another few weeks. And a trip to Budapest had to be scrapped after Alitalia cancelled the flight two days prior to my departure.

The first couple days of lockdown were horrible.

Most of us in Rome live in large apartment buildings that contain numerous small to modest-size flats. Some of these homes have no terrace or balcony. And for people with children, the lockdown can be a challenge.

It's certainly a challenge for us who have no kids!

Those annoying neighbors

Italians are very social creatures. Because of their living situation, often in an inter-generational family setting, they tend to be out of their homes. A lot. That option has been significantly curtailed.

And it is creating some real annoyances for residents.

Most of the older buildings here are designed around quads or inner courtyards. Open windows can become megaphones for every domestic squabble, a child's temper tantrum and the cacophony of people blaring music and a variety of TV programs all at once. Stairwells and hallways reverberate with noise of cooped-up kids running and screaming.

There is no way in hell that I am going to survive this, I thought to myself on Day 3 of the lockdown. But after I calmed down and sat for a while, I realized that this could be an opportunity.

More than anything, it could be a spiritual opportunity if I were able to accept it and manage it the right way.

This is the season of Lent, after all. It is a time for prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It's a time to examine our life of faith and prepare for Easter.

An unforeseen Lenten penance

When Ash Wednesday rolls around we usually ask ourselves, "What am I going to give up for Lent?"

Then we find something we really enjoy and choose to deprive ourselves of it. This becomes our self-imposed 40-day "penance.

"We then work and pray to keep this Lenten promise, sometimes failing to do so. But then we buckle down and become observant once more.

And therein, it seems to me, is the problem. We choose the penance. We make the sacrifice. We fall. And we resolve once more… It is, in a sense, all about us. We, we, we… all the way home!

It is a penance of our own choosing; a cross of our own design.

These past several days I've realized once again that it is much more difficult to carry out a penance or bear a cross that has been unexpectedly thrust upon us.

It may sound irreverent or grandiose to some, but COVID-19 and the really drastic measures we've been asked to take in order to stop its spread is the penance I would have never chosen.

Catholics cannot go to Mass

One of those measures is to avoid gathering in crowds. That means most of us here in Italy will have no opportunity to go to Mass, probably not until… Palm Sunday? Perhaps. But it is not certain.

"We have begun an interminable nighttime vigil. It is the Holy Saturday of our faith, the day par excellence of no liturgy, a heavy time of suffering, disorientation, of waiting and hopefulness, that stretches from the sorrow of the cross to the joy of Easter," writes Gianfranco Brunelli, editor of Il Regno, one of Italy's most important Catholic periodicals.

"It is the day of God's silence," he says.

"The Church must prepare Easter, because it's possible that we will not even be able to celebrate the Paschal liturgy, the central mystery of our faith: the body and blood of Christ poured out for us and for all," Brunelli continues.

But how do we prepare if we cannot gather for liturgy? If we cannot go to Mass?"

In this time, more than ever, our homes are domestic churches," noted Cardinal De Donatis.

In fact, our in-house "incarceration" gives us Catholics the opportunity to spend, at least the same amount of time spent on Sunday in church, praying over the daily Mass readings and really meditating and "chewing on" the Word of God.

Regrettably, we cannot receive the Eucharist. And that is disturbing and a great sacrifice for many, many people.

But as Brunelli writes, "It is the tabernacle of our hearts and our homes that is now being opened. Christ stands at the door."

Perhaps our experience of facing the coronavirus – whether by following the drastic preventative measures or dealing with being infected – will help us open that door.


In any case, we have not chosen this penance. It has chosen us.

                                   

Dancing Polarities

This article is taken from the Daily Email sent by Fr Richard Rohr OFM from the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the email by clicking here 

The words action and contemplation aptly describe the two dancing polarities of our lives. In classic Christian philosophy, Thomas Aquinas and many others stated that the highest form of spiritual maturity is not action or contemplation, but the ability to integrate the two into one life stance—to be service-oriented contemplatives or contemplative activists. By temperament we all tend to come at it from one side or the other.

Full integration doesn’t happen without a lot of mistakes and practice and prayer. And invariably, as we go through life, we will swing on a pendulum back and forth between the two. During one period we may be more active or more contemplative than at another time.

It does concern me how often all kinds of inner work are called contemplation, but they do not lead us to a full contemplative stance. We shouldn’t confuse insight-gathering and introspection with contemplative spirituality. Contemplation is about letting go of what is false and incomplete much more than it is about collecting what is new, no matter how true, therapeutic, or helpful it is. In other words, if personal growth is still our focus, I do not think we are contemplative yet. True transformation demands that we shed ourselves as the central reference point. Jesus said, “Unless the single grain of wheat dies, it remains just a single grain,” and it will not bear much fruit (John 12:24).  Self-help and personal growth are not of themselves the open field of grace where we move beyond self-preoccupation.

An exalted self-image of “I am a spiritual person” is far too appealing to the ego. I am afraid it’s not uncommon in the religious world for “innerness” to become disguised narcissism and overly self-serving. Thomas Merton (1915–1968) even warned against confusing an introverted personality with being a contemplative. [1] They are two different things. The introvert finds solitude quite comfortable, while the mystic and hermit use solitude to discomfort themselves.

Having said that, I’ll point out the other side of the problem. Too much activism without enough inner work, insight, or examination of conscience inevitably leads to violence—to the self, to the project at hand, and invariably to others. If too much inner focus risks narcissism and individualism, too much outer focus risks superficiality, negativity (passing for love of justice), and various messiah complexes. Those on the right can lack love, and those on the left can lack love—they just wear two different disguises. We need both inner communion and outer service to be “Jesus” in the world! The job of religion is to help people act effectively and compassionately from an inner centeredness and connection with God. The need to be right is not love.

Prayer for Our Community:

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all beings. Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory. Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world. [Please add your own intentions.] . . . Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God, amen.

 [1] Thomas Merton, Seeds of Destruction (Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 1964), 325; and

The Inner Experience: Notes of Contemplation, ed. William H. Shannon (HarperSanFrancisco: 2003), 147.

Adapted from Richard Rohr, Near Occasions of Grace (Orbis Books: 1993), 105-107.

                                

Judgment Day

This article is taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find this article and many others by clicking here  

We all fear judgment. We fear being seen with all that’s inside us, some of which we don’t want exposed to the light. Conversely, we fear being misunderstood, of not being seen in the full light, of not being seen for who we are. And what we fear most perhaps is final judgment, the ultimate revelation of ourselves.  Whether we are religious or not, most of us fear having to one day face our Maker, judgment day. We fear standing naked in complete light where nothing’s hidden and all that’s in the dark inside us is brought to light.  

What’s curious about these fears is that we fear both being known for who we are, even as we fear not being known for who we really are. We fear judgment, even as we long for it. Perhaps that’s because we already intuit what our final judgement will be and how it will take place. Perhaps we already intuit that when we finally stand naked in God’s light we will also finally be understood and that revealing light will not just expose our shortcomings but also make visible our virtues.

That intuition is divinely-placed in us and reflects the reality of our final judgment. When all our secrets are known our secret goodness will also be known. Light exposes everything. For example, here’s how the renowned poet and spiritual writer, Wendell Berry, foresees the final judgment: “I might imagine the dead waking, dazed into a shadowless light in which they know themselves altogether for the first time. It is a light that is merciless until they accept its mercy; by it, they are at once condemned and redeemed. It is Hell until it is Heaven. Seeing themselves in that light, if they are willing, they see how far they have failed the only justice of loving one another. And yet, in suffering the light’s awful clarity, in seeing themselves within it, they see its forgiveness and its beauty and are consoled.”

In many ways, this wonderfully captures it: When, one day, we stand in the full light of God, stripped naked in soul, morally defenseless, with everything we have ever done exposed, that light will, I suspect, indeed be a bit of hell before it turns into heaven. It will expose all that’s selfish and impure inside us and all the ways we have hurt others in our selfishness, even as it will expose its opposite, namely, all that’s selfless and pure inside us. That judgment will bring with it a certain condemnation even as it brings at the same time an understanding, forgiveness, and consolation such as we have never known before. That judgment will be, as Berry suggests, momentarily bitter but ultimately consoling.

The one nuance that I would add to Berry’s idea is a something taken from Karl Rahner. Rahner’s fantasy of our judgment by God after death is very similar to Berry’s, except that, for Rahner, the agent of that judgment will not so much be God’s light as it will be God’s love. For Rahner, the idea is not so much that we will be standing in an unrelenting light that sears and pierces through us, but rather that we will be embraced by a love so unconditional, so understanding, and so gracious that, inside that, we will know instantly all that’s selfish and impure inside us even as we know all that’s pure and selfless. Therese of Lisieux used to ask God for forgiveness with these words: “Punish me with a kiss!” Judgment day will be exactly that. We will be “punished” by a kiss, by being loved in a way that will make us painfully aware of the sin within us, even as it lets us know that we are good and loveable.

For those of us who are Roman Catholics, this notion of judgment is also, I believe, what we mean by our concept of purgatory. Purgatory is not a place that’s separate from heaven where one goes for a time to do penance for one’s sins and to purify one’s heart. Our hearts are purified by being embraced by God, not by being separated from God for a time so as to be made worthy of that embrace. As well, as Therese of Lisieux implies, the punishment for our sin is in the embrace itself. Final judgment takes place by being unconditionally embraced by Love. When that happens to the extent that we’re sinful and selfish that embrace of pure goodness and love will make us painfully aware of our own sin and that will be hell until it is heaven.

 As a lyric by Leonard Cohen puts it: Behold the gates of mercy, in arbitrary space, and none of us deserving the cruelty or the grace. He’s right. None of us deserves either the cruelty or the grace we experience in this world. And only our final judgment, the embrace of unconditional love, God’s kiss, will make us aware both of how cruel we’ve been and how good we really are.

                           

Healing and Wholeness This Lent

This article is taken from the Blog posted by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timoneum, Baltimore. You can find the original blog by clicking here 

A recent study out of the UK found that the average adult will say the phrase “I’m fine” 14 times a week.  Despite this, only 19% said that they actually meant it.  The words are so built into our daily conversation that they can feel scripted.  “I’m fine” is a comfort zone, security blanket, go-to kind of answer to the go-to question “How are you?”

Lent, on the other hand, is a deeply unsettling time.  The arrival of the annual penitential traditions of fasting, prayer, and giving shock us out of our ordinary time. Even in our denial and deflection, Lent forces us to acknowledge our intuition that all is not well.  We know we are wounded. Having wounds is just a part of the human condition.  Physical, emotional, relational, mental, and spiritual wounds are simply a reality.

There are those among us who are struggling with a debilitating diagnosis or suffering from chronic pain. They are physically wounded.

There are emotional wounds like anger or anxiety.  There are spiritual wounds of doubt or despair. 

There are wounds that come from loss – the loss of a job, the loss of money, the loss of a loved one.

We have self-inflicted wounds too, from our own sin and selfishness.

Then, there are wounds of the heart, wounds that we suffer in every season of life.

But, the good news of our woundedness is that while we have been born into a broken and hurting world, Jesus Christ came to restore everything that has been broken. He came to restore all things to their intended wholeness. He came to restore and heal you to your intended wholeness.

That’s why we are taking this season of Lent to acknowledge the ways in which we need healing in our lives.  Throughout the season of Lent our weekend message series will focus on healing and wholeness, with our small group curriculum also reflecting this theme. Additionally, we will be offering special opportunities to experience real healing in the form of:

• The Sacrament of Confession Every Saturday 12:30-2:30pm, before and after all weekend Masses March 14 & 15, Archdiocesan Day of Reconciliation March 30, 3-6pm, Good Friday 3-9pm (in the Church)
• Anointing of the Sick After all weekend Masses March 21 & 22 (in the Chapel)
• Healing Prayer With our Healing Ministry, Wednesdays in Lent 7-8pm and after all weekend Masses March 28 & 29 (in the Church)
• Eucharistic Adoration Sundays 9am-1pm and First Fridays 9am-5pm (in the Chapel)