Bulletins by St. Clare Parish (Page 18)

This First Sunday of Lent transports us to the desert where Jesus was tested by “every temptation.” In the course of His forty days in the desert, Jesus remained faithful to the Father. Our Lenten journey serves to strengthen us, also, to be faithful to the Baptism we share. During Lent, the traditional practices of prayer, penance and care for the poor are the means by which we strive to mature in Christian living. It is also a time of special prayer for those who will approach the waters of Baptism at Easter. May our efforts, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, encourage them on their way to union with Christ and the Church. In keeping with the Church’s traditional practice, the Fridays of Lent (except for March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord) and Good Friday are days of abstinence from all meat and Good Friday is also a day of fasting, as was Ash Wednesday, for those between 18 and 59 years old.

The gospel reading this weekend is contains a number of sayings of Jesus, primarily about vision (“Can a blind person guide a blind person? . . . Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own? You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye”). For Christians, vision/sight refers to the vision of faith, insight. “Walking by faith, and not by sight,” we seek to walk in the light, in the way of the Lord. Doing so allows us to guide others, since we are then children of the light, not of darkness. As we move toward Lent, which begins this Wednesday, we have the luxury of six weeks to give extra attention to walking in the way of the Lord. During Lent, we will be called to works of prayer, penance and care for the poor. I invite you and your families to be with us for our celebration of Ash Wednesday. Together let us hear the words of the Lord who calls us to the fullness of life.

During the last decade (2015-2016), the Church celebrated the Jubilee Year of Mercy, proclaimed by Pope Francis, who teaches that “Mercy is the face of God.” The scriptural readings this weekend speak to us of this same mercy, as a constitutive part of the life of a Christian. Just as “The Lord is kind and merciful” (Psalm 103), we are instructed by Jesus: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you” (Luke 6:36-37). Mercy is love in action; it should be the way of our lives. And if it is difficult, it is even more a gift for the person to whom we show mercy. Sign up here for our March 6 (1:30-3:00) Listening Session: https://forms.office.com/r/XjU8uE5mKA