Seems like we just started our New Year’s resolutions (some of them already fallen to the wayside) and we are gearing up for the season of Lent. As I write it is another snowy New England day; after we got rid of all the snow from our January thaw. I am thinking of the book by Sr. Mary Fahey, an adult spirituality book written much like a children’s book:
The Tree that Survived Winter. It is a quick read and worth getting through the library.
Lent is that season where we give our spiritual lives a chance to regrow, revive and come back to life after being on autopilot with the everyday activities of work, school and holidays. For us here in New England this is made easier with our change of seasons. As winter melts into spring our hearts yearn for the warmth of the sun and a desire to be outside seeing our neighbors again after being inside these dark days of winter.
As a Catholic Community we journey together through this Lenten Season encouraging each other to make a deeper commitment to understand the mystery of our faith. At Christmas we gave everyone a copy of
Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly. We are forming small groups to deepen our understanding of what it means to be perfectly and wonderfully made and celebrate God’s gift of self. I invite you to consider joining one of these groups for the six weeks of Lent.
For those of you who are retired, and those who have children and are available during the day; I invite you to join together for Stations of the Cross on Tuesday’s at 11:30 A.M. in the church. For those who would like we’ll have a simply lunch of soup at Noon in the Parish house and I will host a small group following lunch, until 1:00 p.m. All who are interested are most welcome to come together. I offer this during the day especially for those who don’t have a chance to get out in the evening.
Other groups will be meeting in the evening and their times are listed in the bulletin, along with the location and the group leader. There are plenty of copies of
Perfectly Yourself, so we can make sure that you have one if you did not receive one.
The Tree that Survived Winter felt isolated through the long winter after being uprooted from a nursery and planted all alone. Here in the orchard of our Catholic Community we nurture and stand together in producing spiritual fruit that will last!
Fr. Bill
PS…During the height of flu season, we will refrain from receiving the blood of Christ. Please use your own judgement when offering your hand to your neighbor!