Lent 2023

02-19-2023Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Lenten Season begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb 22. On Ash Wednesday, St. Bernadette parish will offer a 6:30am Mass, 8:30am Mass, a 12:00pm Liturgy of the Word and 5:00pm Mass. Everyone who comes to Mass or the noonday Liturgy of the Word will receive ashes on their foreheads. The symbolism is powerful. The ashes are reminders that each one of us came from dust and will return to dust one day. The ashes on our foreheads are in the shape of a cross. Wearing this sign on our foreheads proclaims to others "I live for Christ".

For non-Christians, the Lenten season means nothing. But for those who would like to grow in their relationship with Our Lord, Lent is a time to offer personal sacrifices by giving something up like a favorite food, doing greater works of charity, and praying more intently. The Apostle Paul gives us words of encouragement: "We entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.... Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:1-2).

The 40 days of Lent are how Catholics prepare for Easter. We begin the period of grace with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads and the words expressed in the Liturgy which is one of two formulas: "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" or "Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return". Through repentance and our faithfulness to the Gospel, conversion and spiritual growth strengthens our relationship with Our Lord.

During Lent, the Church asks us to consider fasting, almsgiving and prayers. The regulations on Lenten Fasting and Abstinence are:

-- Fasting: On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday: Those who are 18 years of age but not yet 59 are allowed only one full meal on those two days. Two smaller meals are allowed as needed, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.
-- Abstinence From Meat: Those who are 14 years of age or older are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and All Fridays of Lent

“The Lord Jesus also chose freely to share with every human being the destiny of weakness, in particular through his death on the Cross; but this very death, the culmination of his love for the Father and for humanity, was the way to the glorious Resurrection, through which Christ became a source of grace, given to all who believe in him, who are made to share in divine life itself. This life that will have no end has already begun in the earthly phase of our existence but it will be brought to completion after "the resurrection of the flesh". The little action of the imposition of ashes reveals to us the unique riches of its meaning. It is an invitation to spend the Lenten Season as a more conscious and intense immersion in Christ's Paschal Mystery in his death and Resurrection, through participation in the Eucharist and in the life of charity, which is born from the Eucharist in which it also finds its fulfilment.” – Pope Benedict XVI

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline, V.F.
Pastor