A Message from Father Manny

A Message for St. Joseph the Worker Primary School North Reservoir. (24.2.2022)

Greetings to everyone at our St. Joseph the Worker Primary School, North Reservoir.  As we continue walking together with hope, I wish to present this message reflecting on the season of Lent which will begin with Ash Wednesday on 2nd March 2022.  Lent is known for the Church as a forty-day period of prayers, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for Easter.  We look at Lent as a spiritual journey that leads us to the celebration of God’s great love expressed in the death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and Easter.  During lent we are invited to help those in need, and so across Australia we have the opportunity to participate in the Caritas’ “Project Compassion”.  The Lenten Project Compassion theme for this year is helping those in need in the world and for All Future Generations. 

The time of lent reminds us of the Forty days that Jesus has spent in the wilderness as it is written in the Gospel which we read on the First Sunday of Lent.  In the desert or wilderness where he reflected and prepared for his public ministry, Jesus experienced struggles and challenges and at the same time Jesus put his trust in his Father, God and our God who provides for us and who protects us.  Lent can be a time to reflect on our closeness with God. 

As we think of Lent as a time of giving up something or go without something, let us reflect on being able to go without having always our own way and to be more patient and ready to listen, seeking to live in union with God and with others. Lent can be a joyful season when we reflect on how to be more kind, how to bring about better communication with others, how to be more generous with those in need. During this Lent as Jesus taught us, we can reflect on doing our best so that our actions and behaviour may lead us to place our trust in God.

Lent is not only a time to give up something, Lent can be a time to take up something, for example: working more for justice, peace, love and charity. Taking up something for lent can mean doing our best to create unity and harmony with one another. Taking up something for lent is reflected on our readiness to deepen our sense of being true and sincere followers of Jesus Christ. As we journey through lent and share in the struggles and challenges of Jesus in the desert, may we move on gently to working together and to making Jesus Real. 

Blessings to you all.

Manny Bonello