By Rev. Gilles Haché
WE ENTER LENT together, a time that reflects on the forty days of fasting of Jesus Christ in the desert, as depicted in the three synoptic gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, and also refers to the forty years of wandering of the Hebrews in the desert, after their exodus from Egypt.
Therefore, for us, as for Jesus and the Hebrews, Lent is a time of spiritual preparation and conversion. We are invited to refocus on the essential through prayer, penance, fasting, as well as through concrete acts of charity, such as almsgiving.
Lent is, unequivocally, a propitious time to make the Gospel alive and present in our respective communities, and in our world, by caring for each other, the homeless, the poor, and the sick, and to truly live as an inclusive Church that provides justice for all. May this Lenten season be for us all, a time of prayer and commitment, to embrace God’s grace.
With you, Jesus, we walk in the desert, under the movement of the Spirit. With you, we want to feed our hunger, our thirst, and follow the call of the Father. Lord Jesus, we may not always be sure that it is really the desert where you call us to be, but wouldn’t it be the place where our conscience is, where our heart longs for, and the place that we must cross to effect change? We entrust to you Lord, all our human sisters and brothers, the ones you know and who are tested by different life situations, even those who sometimes might lose heart. May we, by your grace through your Spirit, be an instrument of your presence for them in this time of Lent, and through them, allow us to fully recognize you and become better disciples. Help us, Lord, recognize what we truly need in life, not to lose heart, and to always turn to you. Help us inhabit our own deserts during this Lenten season, so that our heart and conscience may be transformed, by the power of your Spirit.
Amen!
Rev. Gilles Haché is an AFP Huron Executive member.