My dear Friends
Today is the start of a 40 day journey with Christ, experiencing his pilgrimage on earth, His Death, Resurrection and new life with God in heaven. It is a journey through the desert, as it was for our Jewish ancestors, to the Promised Land. Our hearts and minds are especially attuned to loving others and the graces we may receive on our individual pilgrimage, which is also a pilgrimage with the whole Church round the world.
Today we receive the ashes, which remind us of our dying in and with Christ. Our humble mortal and earthly state in which, vulnerable as we are, we nevertheless can receive our divine life, whcih stretches into eternity.
The desert is never completely barren; there are always oases along the way, and the liturgical cycle of 40 days is interspersed with Feasts such as ST Joseph's day on the 19th March. It is a fallacy too that we give up things in Lent; we should be striving to love more and to listen to the Word of God as He speaks to us more profoundly in the still small voice, to which we must be attentive.
The culmination of Easter is ever before us as we journey along. This year I will again be conducting a Passover meal in my church for about 70 people, re-enacting the Exodus narrative of my childhood, which has so many parallels with the Resurrection. And of course which is valid in its own right as the remarkable story of a people, who seem to be going through another desert experience politically right now with the unfolding of the terrible events of Israel/Palestine.
Time to rethink and take stock of our lives! Lent is always a good opportunity. I wish you JOY.
Shalom from
Sister Gila
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
In our Church the palm crosses we were all given on Palm Sunday are burnt to make ashes. B
Post a Comment