Dear Folks,

Lent is coming! Are you ready? And I’m not talking about your ability to eat too many tacos or pancakes on Tuesday!

1. Lenten penances and challenges! I think I use the same penances most years. Why? Because I find that they help me to **focus** on my primary faults. Giving up shaving is more of a marker of time than a real penance… but I do find it very penitential to have a beard by the time Lent is drawing to a close. Cutting back or eliminating electronics/screen time is another penance that most even modern Americans should embrace.

But as you plan to hit Lent running, don’t be afraid to give up the thing you least want to give up! That may be the Lord whispering in your soul to get your attention!

2. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 Penances are useless without prayer. Yep, useless. How will you deepen your prayer life this Lent, and form habits that will extend into Ordinary Time and eternity? Make a plan, something achievable, and don’t despair that you might succeed for three days and fail for two. Three steps forward and two steps back still nets you one forward! Jesus is the master of the patient long game!

3. Bishop’s Lenten Appeal. Thank you for your support of this important appeal each year. Your generosity goes a long way to supporting so many worthy ministries in our diocese. In a time when we are all asking for greater accountability from Church hierarchy, know that this appeal provides direct assistance to many of our brothers and sisters and neighbors. It is not a collection for the bishop personally, but for the many works of charity that are carried out in his and our names!

There you go. Did you notice that those three are the classic prayer, fasting, and almsgiving? Timeless classics of the spiritual life. And one more expression of gratitude on the almsgiving side: thank you for your generous support of the Souper Bowl Drive. 1,353 total pounds
from the parish and school—fantastic! Thank you to all who helped and participated!

Oops, one more: did you see the notice in here for the Lenten Fish Taco Truck and mac-n-cheese? We are trying something different this year on two Lenten Fridays to offer something that might work for families… as we will subsidize the first 500 tacos each of those Fridays.

pax,

Father John Mosimann