This article was originally published on Thu, 16 Feb 2023

Lent is one of the most beautiful seasons in the Church. It reminds us of God’s tremendous love for all of us. By sending His Son, Jesus, God redeemed us from our slavery to sin and death. Jesus’ death and resurrection brought salvation to all of humanity. It is interesting that as we begin Lent, the selection of scripture readings for Ash Wednesday is one that calls us to be joyful and hopeful. The prophet Joel says: “Blow a trumpet in Zion!” while St. Paul says: “Be ambassadors for Christ.” This does not mean there is no need for repentance. Of course, there is. Lent helps us to make that self-assessment and provides the time to re-discover who we are. Lent is a time for us to look inward, and in doing so, reminds us we have a forgiving God who love us unconditionally. That is worth celebrating.  As we approach Lent, our parish is offering different ways to encounter our God. The hope is to help us grow in our relationship with God and to appreciate even more who we are as God’s beloved children. All our Lenten practices at Holy Spirit will help us prepare for the joyful celebration of Easter. I invite you to join us for our Lenten Speaker Series and Soup Suppers, starting on March 2nd and continuing on every Thursday in March, from 6:00-7:15 pm in the Parish Hall. Speakers will help us dive deeper into the meaning of Lent and the sacred scriptures. They will also help us examine the celebration of the Easter Triduum and what that means for us today.  Every Friday in Lent we will pray the stations of the cross. We will be invited to enter a reflection of each station and how to journey towards the cross and the empty tomb – both signs of God’s life-giving love. This year, we are providing a Wooden Cross Charm to remind us of the season. Please take a wooden cross and place it in a prominent place, e.g., your car or house keys, your pocket- somewhere you will see it every day. Let the cross remind you of prayer, fasting, almsgiving - the disciplines of Lent. And more importantly, let the cross remind you of what God did for us in sending His Son. Let the cross remind us of forgiveness, hope, life, and love which we will celebrate especially on Easter and each time we gather for Eucharist.  Join us on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd, as we begin this holy and beautiful season of Lent. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to lead us and fill us with wisdom, courage, and patience. Let the Spirit open our hearts and minds to God’s call to rediscover our true identity as God’s beloved sons and daughters.