Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving: these time-tested spiritual disciplines proclaimed by Jesus in today’s Gospel work and the sacred Season of Lent calls us to embrace them with a renewed commitment and fervor. Think also of these three words: do, daily and dependent. For these spiritual disciplines to work: we must actually do them on a daily basis ever dependent upon God’s grace. Such a way of living will lead us to the spiritual transformation and conversion to which Lent calls us; to a deeper and more intimate union with the Lord; and to abundant blessings throughout this sacred season.

One of my best retreats as a bishop was during Lent and directed by a well-known spiritual guide and author, Fr. Cantalamessa.  Throughout the retreat, I took copious notes as Fr. Cantalamessa shared many profound spiritual insights and guidance. At the end of the retreat, I purchased a holy card and asked him to write a message on it and sign it for me. I thought he would include a sentence or two from one of his talks. Instead, he simply wrote three words: “God loves you.”

Spend today not so much telling the Lord what you will do for Lent but rather by reflecting on the truth that “God loves you.” His love is perfectly revealed in his Son whose cross we are called to take up especially throughout these sacred days as we follow him to Calvary and to his victory at Easter. If you are convinced of God’s love for you then you will want to love him even more and will embrace Jesus’ call to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. If you do them on a daily basis dependent on God’s grace, you will indeed have a Blessed Lent.

As we begin our Lenten journey, may our prayer be that of today’s psalm: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”

With flu season (amongst other transmittable diseases) in full swing, St Mary would like to keep you informed of the following steps being taken at the parish to minimize our parishioners’ exposure to communicable diseases.  First, we have suspended the Sign of Peace at Mass until the current health situation passes.  You may have noticed this for the past few weeks. The Sign of Peace is an optional rite at Mass and it is at the discretion of the priest whether to include it, and for the time being, we will omit the rite until the it’s clear there’s a substantially lower risk of transmitting flu or any other disease.  Second, we are in the process of installing hand sanitizers in the vestibule, and our ushers will be wiping down the door handles after Sunday Masses with sanitizer wipes.  Third, we’d like to remind our parishioners that if you feel unwell, please DO NOT attend Mass or parish functions.  If you are feeling sick or are sick, it is NOT A SIN to miss Mass on Sunday.  Rather, it is an act of charity to keep in mind the health of your fellow parishioners and stay home.  We encourage you to return to Mass or any parish activity after the symptoms have abated for at least 24 hours.  For the time being, these steps are in the process of being implemented, and the parish council will be meeting in the next week to discuss other best practices that can or should be implemented in the parish.

St Mary, pray for us!