MCC Newsletter

MCC Parish Chaplain

LENT: A TIME OF PRAYER AND LIVING LIFE TO THE FULL!

Friends, Lent is almost here again!

I remember a story of one church pastor who was pulled over by a cop for over speeding. The pastor was ashamed of himself and was also freaking out he’s got only few points left in his driver’s licence. When the cop came close to him, the pastor seemed to recognize him as one of his church members and decided to try a few bible quotations on him to see if he could soften his heart and so he said to the cop; ‘blessed are the merciful for they shall have mercy shown them’ (The Beatitudes). The cop too knew his bible well and the he gave the pastor a funny smile and handed him the ticket saying; ‘you go and sin no more!’.

That sounds like the theme for Lent; ‘Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel’. Friends Lent is an exciting time, maybe for many, because it is a time to give up on eating our most liked chocolates. But Lent is more than giving up on chocolates. It is forty days of special journey with Jesus in prayer as we follow his lead in looking into our lives and finding out what it is in our lives that might need improving on, identifying our faults, our bad habits,  all the things that distract us and lead us away from God, and then owning up to them and asking Jesus through prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help us to get rid of them and become new people, fully refreshed and recharged for our spiritual journey. This is the true meaning of the Lenten phrase: Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.

 

Lent equally gives us the opportunity to pray more and to come to church more often especially on Sundays for Mass.

 

Lenten is not only about sacrifices, giving up something and prayer, it is equally a time of action, a time of charity. So throughout these forty days of Lent beginning from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, we may consider also doing some good deed everyday.

 

Here are few things we might find helpful in our Lenten journey through these forty days:

 

  • Give up some TV shows or much time in social media or playing computer games and spend that time in helping a family member.
  • Think about someone you are angry with or who has hurt you. Ask God for the courage to forgive and pray for that person every day. Also think about one thing that is good about them.
  • Share lots of smiles today.
  • Give a hug to everyone in your family.
  • Compliment each person in your family more often during the week.
  • Give up complaining or whinging, frowns, and negative thoughts today.
  • Give up buying something new today (e.g. clothes, CD, magazine, etc) and maybe donate that gold coin to the less fortunate through Project Compassion.

 

Finally, let us pray this Lenten prayer:

 

Lord,

Teach me a new freedom.

Freedom to reject comparison

And to embrace uniqueness.

Freedom to cut ties with greed

And feast on love.

Freedom to abstain from over indulgence

And feast on self-control.

Freedom to leave behind selfish thoughts

And to focus on the needs of others.

Freedom to fend off insecurity

And to embrace grace.

Lord, at this time of Lent,

Thank you for the freedom you bring.

Amen.

 

GOD BLESS YOU ALL

FR CHRISTIAN