Love God. Love others. Make disciples.
Why We Should Accept the Call of Lent
Philip Kosloski - published on 02/15/24
St. John Paul II urges us all to accept the call and challenge of Lent, embracing it with our entire being, instead of brushing it off as too difficult.
For many of us, we may want to embrace the season of Lent, but find ourselves at the end of Ash Wednesday already breaking our personal disciplines.
St. John Paul II urges us all to see Lent as an opportunity for growth and to accept it. He reflected on this call during his Ash Wednesday homily in 1981:
Accepting the call of Lent means accepting the call to a particular cooperation with Grace. This call is pronounced with the words of the liturgy, but it must resonate deeply in the heart and consciousness of each of us.
He goes on to say how, “accepting the call of Lent means accepting the call to a particular cooperation with Christ: “Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At the acceptable time I have listened to you and helped you on the day of salvation'” (2 Cor 6.1-2).
Lent is a time to accept God’s call to conversion, where we evaluate our lives and see where we need to improve, so that we can receive God’s many graces.
Sacrifice and God’s love
Above all, the various sacrifices we make during Lent should all go back to the love of God imitating his sacrifice on the cross:
[T]he cross is revealed before the eyes of our soul, that is, love.
Proclaiming fasting means remembering this Love with all its force! Remember the cross!
Accepting fasting means accepting the revelation of this love: finding oneself in the dimensions of this love-mercy.
Everything during Lent returns to the cross, which is God’s most clear sign of his love for us.
As we go through Lent, may we accept the spirit of prayer, fasting and alms giving and see it as a response to God’s love.
Posted on: March 19, 2020
COVID-19 - Update: March 19 2020
Sunday and weekday masses suspended until further notice
As of Friday, March 20, Sunday and weekday masses are suspended until further notice. (In keeping with the Code of Canon Law no. 87, Bishop Don has granted dispensation from our Sunday obligation until further notice.)
St. Anne Church will remain open to the public for private prayer and devotion weekdays from 8am-noon. Please enter by the Office door, We kindly ask that all who enter be conscientious of our the need to keep our parish sanitized and disinfected so please stay within the designated areas.
Information regarding Holy Week celebrations will be forth coming from our Diocesan office. In the meantime, you may read more here: https://archregina.sk.ca/news/2020/03/18/archbishop-donald-bolens-letter-suspension-mass-due-covid-19
Finally, in our efforts to keep St. Anne parishioners safe, we will postpone our Annual Meeting (originally planned for March 29). However, please note, you may find our 2019 Annual Report posted on our website. (http://www.stannesregina.com/).
Eucharistic celebrations live-streamed
Recognizing that the celebration of the Eucharist lies at the very heart of our spiritual lives, a roster of clergy, including Bishop Don, will celebrate daily and Sunday Masses from Resurrection Parish in Regina. To participate, see link below.
https://livestream.com/accounts/17094656
Other ways to make a spiritual communion:
Bishop Barron - https://www.wordonfire.org/daily-mass/
EWTN - https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings
Catholic TV - http://www.catholictv.org/
Stations of the Cross
As we move through the Lenten season, let us unite our universal sufferings to the suffering of Christ on the Cross. Although we may not be able to participate in this prayer as a group, we can follow along on our own.
1. Music Opening- Feel the Nails by Ray Boltz (5:24)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=davpAvF-RY4
2. Stations of the Cross from the Holy Land (27:35)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uofRteUvhQ
(EWTN is a global, Catholic Television, Catholic Radio, and Catholic News Network that provides catholic programming.)
3. Music Closing - Were You There// featuring Andrea Thomas -(5:35)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpSScICWJ9M
Special thank you to Denise Nelson and Roberta Walsh for sharing these resources with us.
May we join together in prayer and service this Lent so as to open ourselves to God’s grace, that the God who raised Jesus from the dead may also use this experience of suffering to show us a glimpse of the resurrection.
God bless you and keep you.