LENTEN MESSAGE 2009
28 February 2009
Dearly beloved in Christ,
“God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified to me and I am to the world” [Gal. 6: 14].
The Lord has spared us for yet another “period of grace” when we are privileged to encounter our Lord Jesus Christ through sincere, conscious reflection on his suffering, death and resurrection along with the accompanying conversion of heart resulting in “a new creation” [Gal. 6: 5].
Our Lenten devotions and practices bring us that much closer to our sanctification as we deepen our belief that Jesus, our Lord and Saviour sacrificed his all in order to make us holy so that even in us the Father can be well pleased. The Eucharistic acclamation, “dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life,” takes on new significance as we contemplate the Cross in Christian living.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, let us participate fully in the salvific mystery by learning to die a little bit more to self this year—be it by way of sacrifices (self-denial), Lenten Missions or Retreats/Crusades, and frequenting the Sacrament of Penance—so that through our pilgrimage to Calvary, Jesus’ Presence and Power can be made more manifest in our thoughts, words and actions.
Ultimately these Lenten practices of penance and devotions should result in genuine growth in our love of God and concrete love of our neighbour. If Lent does not bring about a conversion of heart and mind, then we will have to conclude that our faith is static and will ultimately become vulnerable to the various currents in the society and in the world that are far removed from Gospel values.
This Lenten period is special. The global economic downturn will certainly challenge all of us, individually, as families, as a Church family, and as a nation. However, how we are called not to react, but rather to respond to the inevitable changes where we find ourselves “between a rock and a hard place.” Could this development serve as an invitation for us to look critically at our present lifestyle and to see how we can live more simply without extravagant or unnecessary spending. In so doing, we may discover a certain amount of freedom which counters what society demands of us, namely an acquisitive mentality and mode of living.We may even discover that we are better able to give alms or charitable assistance to those worse off than ourselves.
This call to conversion of lifestyle needs to be sustained by sincere and constant prayer, the better to sharpen our spiritual appetite for Kingdom values: justice, peace, love and unity. Lent, therefore, is a grace-filled season to reflect upon our discipleship—our loyal following of our Lord Jesus Christ—who embraced the Cross for our salvation and rose again to bring hope of life to the full, including eternal life.
May God’s Holy Spirit inspire us during this spiritual pilgrimage, and may Mary, our Mother, walk by our side to encourage us to stand faithfully with her by the Cross of the Saviour, even as we await a new resurrection in our lives.
God bless!
Yours sincerely in Christ,
+ Donald J. Reece
Most Rev. Donald J. Reece
Archbishop of Kingston