When I was praying about Lent this year, I have to admit the Lord wasn’t offering much. I kept asking: “what do you want this Lenten experience to be like….what do you want the parish to offer this Lenten season?” While I (like many pastors I’m sure) want it to be the best Lent ever, I kept hearing the Lord say: “Go back to the basics…Before you worry about doing this or that, make sure you have the basics covered.” Before you build something grand, make sure you have the foundation built. So that is what I am inviting all of you do this season of Lent. Go back to the basics.
How do we do this? I think a great place to start is with the Precepts of the Catholic Church. These are 5 basic ways the church invites us to live out our faith lives in order to not only maintain a spirit of discipline in the Church, but to establish a true Catholic identity within our hearts. So what are they?
Pray with these ways of living. Perhaps you are doing great in all 5 areas. Great job! Maybe you are doing great in a couple but could improve in a few. Maybe your family members or friends struggle to live these out. Perhaps this Lent could be a time to ask Jesus how you can help your loved ones to come worship the Lord at Mass or to meet Him in the loving sacrament of Reconciliation. Please check out our Lenten calendar for the many Mass and Reconciliation opportunities presented. If you want to go to the next level, even pray about coming to daily Mass. It would be great to have you. It is good to remember that these precepts of the Church are not optional; they are required of all the faithful. They are foundational to our faith lives. If we follow these commands, we set our feet on the right path, the path of holiness that God desires us to walk.
Peace and blessings,
Fr. Jeremy
