COME BACK TO ME …

A Blessed Ash Wednesday to all & wishing you a good start to Lent.  While the secular world celebrates romantic love & Valentine’s Day, the Church calls our attention to the most important Love of all – God’s love for us by giving us His Only Son Jesus Christ (cf John 3:16) & Jesus’ great love for each of us personally by dying on the cross & giving His life for us (cf Galatians 2:20).   

The Liturgy today invites us to a conversion of heart & repentance throughout this Lenten season. The Prophet Joel (in Chapter 2:12-18) makes a heartfelt appeal to us in the 1st Reading to return to the Lord with all our hearts by having a humble & contrite spirit of penitence. St Paul (in the 2nd Reading from 2 Corinthians 5:20 to 6:2) also urges us onward to not neglect the grace of God for conversion, declaring that the favourable time & day of salvation is right now (cf 2 Corinthians 6:2)! And in the Gospel in Matthew 6:1-6,16-18, we are taught by Jesus the true & authentic spirit of the 3 Pillars of Lent – Prayer, Fasting & Almsgiving.

To cultivate a deeper sense of Prayer (one of the disciplines of Lent) for all in our parish community, we will be launching our Lent 2024 Prayer Project starting 1st Sunday of Lent. Parishioners are invited to fill in the prayer petition slips available at Church & then place it into the Petition Box.  These intentions will be offered at every mass during the Lenten season.  And parishioners will also be encouraged to pray for the petitions of others, thus promoting a closer spirit of support & care for all members of our community.

So, my dear brothers & sisters in the Lord, as you come forward to receive the Ashen cross on your forehead today, will you let your heart be so overwhelmed by the love of Jesus that you make a commitment to repent, change & be converted to the Lord?  Or will you just receive the ashes as you did in previous years with merely a pious & sentimental observance of the rite?  Or perhaps just to “check off” a box of religious actions to be done?  Same questions also apply for the 3 Lenten disciplines. Will the exercise of prayer, fasting & almsgiving this Lent finally be the turning point of your life where you make this life-transforming & radical decision to make Jesus the King & Lord of your heart & life?

May the Lord bless your Lenten journey & may you experience daily the depth of His love & the fullness of His mercy & redemption (cf Psalm 130:7).

 

Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead

 

Previous
Previous

GOD’S WAYS ARE FAITHFULNESS & LOVE

Next
Next

DEDICATION OF THE CATHEDRAL OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD