We are already almost half way in our Lenten journey. The days towards the Easter sacraments for our catechumens and candidates are getting shorter and shorter. We have a wonderful group again this year preparing to be received to our faith community at the Easter Vigil. I will be leading them on a retreat on Saturday, March 24 as part of their journey to full integration to the Catholic faith. Please keep our candidates and catechumens in your prayers as they continue to prepare themselves for their full integration to the Church.
I would like to invite all of you to our Lenten Mini Retreat next Saturday, March 17 from 9am to 11:30am at the Parish Center. We will be exploring the Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross. The seven last words of Jesus are the road map to our own personal sanctification. They are so packed with meaning that once they are understood and lived they can truly transform our call to discipleship. Part of the retreat is to also deepen our understanding of the Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil), asking ourselves why they are considered to be the holiest of all days in the year. I hope and pray that we will find time to pause and nourish our souls through this mini-retreat.
In the Gospel today, we heard the story of the man born blind. The interesting twist in this story is that the man who was born blind could see better than the scribes and Pharisees who were out to discredit him and Jesus. The blind man saw Jesus as the Messiah but those who were supposed to have discerned deeper and easier the working of God because they were more “educated” in God’s laws were blinded by their self-centeredness and personal agendas. More crippling than physical blindness is spiritual blindness. It cripples the heart, the seat of the soul. Things that drive us away from God are the same things that blind us. What are the things that continue to blind us in our full appreciation of who we are as sons and daughters of God? How about those things that blind us to embrace
forgiveness, charity and compassion? Do we see others as inferior, therefore, less worthy of our respect and consideration? Let us ask for grace to have a renewed spiritual sight. The communion antiphon for this Sunday’s Mass sums it up: “The Lord anointed my eyes: I went, I washed, I saw and I believed in God.” Let this season of Lent truly be an opportunity for us to come back to Jesus’ embrace, be washed by his loving mercy and see his manifold grace in our lives, thus bringing us to a deeper faith/belief in him.
Before I end this article, I would like to express our profoundest thanks to the different groups that have sponsored our soup suppers on the Fridays of Lent and to the Knights of Columbus for taking on, once again, the two Lenten Fish Fry’s this year. It’s not an easy feat to put on these events, especially on a Friday when most are coming from work. We truly appreciate their hard work and unwavering service to our community. – Fr. Cary