Greetings in Christ all! I’ve written this bulletin way ahead of time, in anticipation of being on vacation when this puppy is due. Theoretically, while you are reading this, I am praying, reading or watching Spring Training baseball…these are my favorite things!
So, what I want to let you know is that Lent is almost here…we start it this week: can you believe it?
During the Lenten Season, it is my intent to share a homily series with you on the 7 deadly sins and the seven corresponding virtues. I did something very similar in my last assignment and it ended up bearing great fruit.
What I’ll do is each week, preach one of the 7 deadly sins and show how God gave us a virtue to fight this sin. It will be my goal to get each of us to practice a virtue each week so that our Lenten Season has a tangible goal toward making us better instruments in the hand of our loving God.
So, I took the weeks of Lent and broke them down this way:
1st Sunday of Lent: Pride/Humility
2nd: Sloth/Diligence
3rd: Wrath/Patience
4th: Gluttony and Greed/Temperance and Charity
5th: Lust/Purity
Palm Sunday: Envy/Kindness
I pray that each of us create a family plan for Lent: really working together to make this a priority. The darkness of the world and within the Church is such that the need for Saints have never been greater…we can answer that call this Lenten Season and rejoice at what God does in and through us.
There is a group we should keep in our prayers in a special way during his time: our candidates and catechumens. These are the folks who are joining the Catholic Church at the culmination of our Lenten Season. They have been preparing for some time for this moment and I ask you to pray that God light a fire in their heart as they get ever closer to full communion with us in the Roman Catholic Church.
Finally, I want to encourage you right in the beginning of this Lenten Season to never give up! We have some great weeks ahead of us and, I cannot encourage you enough to push forward, fighting for holiness and giving this Lent the best effort you have. Note those upcoming Triduum Services and make sure they are the highest priority for you, you will not regret it. I join you in giving my all to make this The Best Lent Ever.
With a heart filled with the joy of being your priest,
Fjk
