“Rend your hearts, not your garments”

This Sunday, on the Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time we are reminded that God promised to “wipe out” our offenses, “your sins I remember no more.” (Isaiah 43) People bring a paralyzed man to Jesus. Jesus shocks them by forgiving the man's sins. To show them that Jesus himself is fulfilling God's promise, he heals the man's paralysis.

"Readings & Gospel this week"

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence. We wear ashes on our foreheads to remember who we are and express our desire to turn away from sin and to believe the Good News. The Prophet Joel helps us begin our journey: “return to me with your whole heart.” “Rend your hearts, not your garments,” reminds us that this is an interior journey. The Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 51, has the antiphon: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.” Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians says, “be reconciled to God ... we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain ... Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

It is the long tradition of Lent to prepare us for our journey by having us reflect on Isaiah, Chapter 58, as we begin. “This is the fasting that I wish” gives us the true picture of fasting: letting God's Spirit transform us. It is a call to conversion. Jesus confirms his desire to help us, “I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

Holy Father's Intentions for the Month

General: "That all peoples may have access to water and other resources needed for daily life."

Missionary: "That the Lord may sustain the efforts of health workers assisting the sick and elderly in the world's poorest regions."

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity.....

“Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works” (Heb 10:24)
Read full text of the Holy Father’s message...

"Lenten reflection"

Lent offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and to deepen our commitment to a way of life, rooted in our baptism. In our busy world, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our patterns, to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we've done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need.