“God’s mercy transforms human hearts; it enables us, through the experience of a faithful love, to become merciful in turn.”
— Pope Francis
Each year, holy Mother Church helps us through her liturgical calendars to keep us ever focused on Jesus Christ and living with Him as Lord and King of our lives. By re-living the life of Jesus Christ and encountering Him anew each year in the holy Gospel, the Christian who celebrates the events of His life through the liturgical life and worship of the Church, and practices well the Church’s Traditions during these seasons of the year, is well-disposed to live intimately with the Lord as His friend and disciple.
Immediately after His Baptism by John the Baptizer, Jesus goes out into the desert to prepare for His public Ministry and ultimately His Paschal Mystery. During Lent the Elect of God, in our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process, begin their period of preparation to enter into to their life with the Crucified and Risen Lord and His Body the Church by renouncing sin, and professing their faith in the triune God before being Baptized at the Easter Vigil. Although we are already Baptized, we too are still on a journey of conversation to fully embrace and live our baptismal vows. We accompany the Lord and the three Elect of the parish: Amanda, Gillian, and Deniece, into the desert for a time of prayer, penance, and more intense conversion this Lent.
The Church helps us to begin our Lenten Journey on Ash Wednesday with the somewhat startling imposition of Ashes and the words, “remember man that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” In confronting us with our individual mortality as a child born of Adam, the sacred liturgy is stimulating us to more fully embrace the spiritual adoption we’re given in Jesus Christ (the new Adam) through our Baptism. As Saint Paul reminds us in various ways in his Epistles, we are being saved through our Baptism. That is, the Lord is always offering us the grace of conversion and repentance to be fully alive as a man or woman in Him. Sin keeps us from being fully alive in God’s life of perfect love of charity and mercy. The grace of conversion helps us to recognize the concrete sins in our life which keep us in some way from the fullness of life, and love of God and of our neighbour. The end of conversion is not to weigh us down spiritually and emotionally from coming to know clearly our sin, but this work of conversion helps us to know our sin, so we can judge ourselves of it and invite Jesus Christ as our Spiritual Physician into these precise areas of our life to heal us… so we can be freed of the burden of sin and be fully alive again in the Risen Lord. Remember, Jesus Christ Himself said, “I came so that [you] might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10.10).
The three traditional pillars of Lent: increased prayer; times of fasting & abstinence; and almsgiving help us to grow closer in our relationship with Lord and be a closer follower of His. Below are various opportunities in the parish to assist you in incorporating these three traditional elements into your Lenten observation. Lastly, it is certainly a practice to “give something up” during Lent… but, remember we don’t give something up “blindly,” but we give something up to fill it’s “place” with a new element of prayer or perhaps the practice of a corporal or spiritual work of mercy. Giving up something is always done in service of something greater and “holy-making.”
Increased Prayer:
I. Stations of the Cross: The Stations of the Cross devotion will be offered on Friday’s during Lent at 7:00 pm. Stations of the Cross booklets will be available in the Church. This year, our parish school children in eighth grade will present the Living Stations of the Cross with Fr. Eilerman on Friday, 4 March at 7:00 pm.
II. Exposition & Vespers: Our parish will offer Sunday afternoon Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament beginning at 4:00pm. We will chant Vespers, the Evening Prayer of the Church, at 4:45 pm and close with Benediction Service at 5:00 pm. Worship Aids will be available in the Church. If you’ve not joined us for this holy hour in the past, do consider exposing yourself to this ancient Tradition of the Church’s prayer and worship.
III. Daily Mass: Monday and Wednesday at 7:00 am and Tuesday and Thursday at 9:00 am
IV. Rosary: Our parish prays the Rosary as a community at 5:00 pm before the Saturday 5:30 Anticipatory Mass.
V. Confession: The sacrament Penance is offered from 4-5pm on Saturdays and there will be a Penance Service with individual celebration of the sacrament on Thursday, 10 March at 7:00 pm. Other opportunities are available at parishes within our Deanery (see bottom of post). Review and Examination of Conscience to aide your preparation for the celebration of the sacrament of Jesus’ Mercy. (Examination Guide)
VI. Lauds: Our parish will offer Lauds, the Morning Prayer of the Church on Holy Thursday at 9:00am, Good Friday at 9:00am, and Holy Saturday at 9:00am. Worships Aids will be available in the Church as you enter.
VII. Lenten Reflections: Consider subscribing to Fr. Robert Barron’s Lenten Reflections via email: (Link)
VIII Pray More Retreat – inspiring talks to help you grow and deepen your prayer life (Link)
IX. Consider subscribing to Magnificat, a prayer book with Mass readings and spiritual reflections. This is a monthly publication, but it would be wonderful to take up during Lent and continue afterward.
X: Read the Mass Readings each day during Lent (Link)
XI: Pray the Liturgy of the Hours Online during Lent (Link)
XII: Pray over the Mass Readings using the help of Lectio Divina (Link)
XIII: Pray over the Mass Readings using Lectio Divina by the Dominican’s in celebration of their 800th year: (Link)
Alms & Works of Mercy:
I. Operation Rice Bowl: Our parish will take up a second collection at all Sunday Masses for Catholic Relief Services. St. Mary School and St. Mary Parish School of Religion students will also be given a Rice Bowl to collect money for the good works of CRS. Please consider taking the money you’d save in “giving up” something for Lent and donating it to this charitable organization which does good works all over the world.
II. St. Vincent dePaul Food Collection: Our Vincentians will collect non-perishable food items in the St. Vincent dePaul boxes on the back tables in the narthex of church. Also, for the men, consider volunteering some of your time at St. Vincent to help with moving furniture, pickups/deliveries, and support in their warehouse. Call the office for more details: (740) 653-6037.
III. Sandwich Saturday: All are invited to help build sandwiches for the local food pantries on Saturday, 27 February and Saturday, 19 March at 8:00 am in the Spirit Center. Please consider bringing bologna, cheese, and bread with you to donate for this effort. This work typically continues on the 4th Saturday of each month.
Fasting & Abstinence:
I. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence. Please consider fasting on these days, and others, for specific prayer intentions this Lent.
II. Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence.
Growth in Faith:
I. Lighthouse Media Displays: Please check-out the Lighthouse Catholic Media Displays in the Main and South vestibules of church and pickup a talk by one of the greatest Catholic speakers in the world on prayer, church teaching or the spiritual life. A donation is appreciated to continue this opportunity.
II. Our parish is finishing the Alpha course during Lent. SYMBOLON will begin during the Octave of Easter. More information and registration details will be forthcoming for the 10-part SYMBOLON series which helps participants deepen their understanding of the Catholic faith and its practice.
III. Consider reading a book on the Catholic Faith or a book which leads you on a Catholic Retreat. Need some direction? Have a short conversation with Father Eilerman, Deacon Frank, or Brian McCauley for some helpful suggestions.
IV. Catholic Women’s Conference – Saturday, 20 Feb from 8 am until 4 pm. Details (here)
V. Catholic Men’s Conference – Saturday, 27 Feb from 8 am until 2.45 pm. Details (here)
Other External Resources for Lent:
FOCUS: Pope Francis’ 10 Tips for Lent (here)
NCR: The 2015 Ultimate Lenten Resource Guide
Deanery Options for the Celebration of Penance
Deanery Communal Penance Services w/Individual Confessions
Monday, 22 February – St. John the Evangelist – Logan, 7.00 pm
Tuesday, 1 March – St. Mark the Evangelist – Lancaster, 7.00 pm
Sunday, 6 March – St. Joseph – Circleville – 4.00 pm
Thursday, 10 March – St. Mary of the Assumption, 7:00 pm
Sunday, 13 March – St. Bernadette – Lancaster, 3.00 pm
Tuesday, 15 March – St. Joseph – Sugar Grove, 7.00 pm
Sunday, 20 March – St. Mary – Bremen, 3.00 pm