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LENT: PREPARING FOR THIS YEAR’S MISSION

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So here we are, once again, at the First Sunday of Lent.  You may think “Same old readings” and, yes, they are. BUT the point of the matter, i.e., why Holy Mother Church sets us on this path year after year, is that you and I should be wiser, closer to God and closer to each one of Our Father’s children than we were last year; thus, the same “old” reading should bring a different message to our more-attuned-to-God minds and hearts!

Are we more-attuned-to-God than we were a year ago when, on Ash Wednesday, February 26, 2020, the New York Times headline was “C.D.C. Officials Warn of Coronavirus Outbreaks in the U.S.”?

How much better do I understand the meaning and message of Jesus, God-become-man, my Savior and my role model, than I did then?  How much deeper, more genuine, more heart-felt are my thoughts, feelings and actions toward God, myself and every single one of God’s people and all of God’s creation?

Let’s make this our Best Lent Ever!  And let’s do it together – even in this time of social distancing.  Can we, the St. Michael Community, living and deceased, count on you to walk this Lenten walk with us and Jesus?

Passages from the Readings of the First Sunday of Lent:

“Beloved:
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.” 1 Pt 3:18
 
“After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
‘This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” Mk 1:14-15

Selections from Fr. Tim’s First Sunday of Lent Bulletin Column:

“The Gospel today describes Jesus’ immediate preparation to start His earthly Mission. . . . With Jesus, we go ‘into the desert’, spiritually removing ourselves from the comfortable environments of our ordinary routines, and confronting the realities of our essential frailty. But we do so in a spirit of hope, knowing that Jesus provides the strength we must depend on for faithful living of our call to discipleship. . . .”

“At hand are the traditional tools of Lent:

  • Prayer (‘listening’ intently to what we know is God’s sole message: ‘I love you’);
  • Fasting (distancing ourselves from pleasures that can come to replace the One Who alone can satisfy our deepest hungers); and
  • Almsgiving (sharing our resources, to prove that our real security lies in God, and to sustain works of charity that relieve those in need).”

“We enter this time as if going ‘on Retreat’ — not wandering in the wilderness aimlessly, but walking in companionship with our Savior, coming to deeper awareness, in the clear light and sharp perspectives of the ‘desert’, of the Love God has for us. May it be a time of grace and peace for us all.” Msgr. Tim Shugrue

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Suggestions:

    • Prayer (‘listening’ intently to what we know is God’s sole message: ‘I love you’) – Click on the “Lent” options on our parish website menu bar (parish 2021 Lenten series) or choose one of the programs listed here or elsewhere on the web.
    • Fasting (distancing ourselves from pleasures that can come to replace the One Who alone can satisfy our deepest hungers) – Search the web or ask your friends to suggest some ways of fasting.  Here is a link to a suggestion I received from my religious community:  Mercy Meatless Mondays.
    • Almsgiving (sharing our resources, to prove that our real security lies in God, and to sustain works of charity that relieve those in need) – I strongly suggest that we make larger than normal donations to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal – for three reasons.  First, the Archdiocese provides us and other parishes with servicing for us and other parishes and they also provide valuable information, programs and opportunities that we pass on to you, for instance, many of the items in the weekly parish bulletin and the Mary Garden email.  Second, due to COVID, every parish’s revenues are down and that means that the Archdiocese’s revenues (parish assessments) are down.  Third, in our name, the Archdiocese services many people in need through their effective Catholic Charities initiatives. They do this in our name!  Last summer when my religious community offered each sister $500 to give to persons in need due to covid, I matched the $500 with my vacation allowance and asked our Catholic Charities to find needy recipients.  The money was used to pay utility bills for needy families with children.  I was impressed with the effective and respectful way our Catholic Charities programs serve people in need.  I also received thank-you notes from the families who received the assistance.  There are plenty of people who need our financial help and we here at St. Michael’s need the Archdiocese to service our parish and parishioner needs.  Please, if you can, consider being extra generous in donating to this year’s Appeal.  Here is a link to the Archdiocese Annual Appeal webpage.  When giving online, please remember to choose parish “St. Michael Parish in Cranford 2021.”  Thank you.

Sister Loretta

Note:  Be sure you make your donations to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal (not to Catholic Charities) so that your donation contributes to St. Michael’s Goal for the Annual Appeal.

And all of these services are being performed in the name of the parishes and parishioners of the Archdiocese!

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