Lent: Reflection and Renewal
Thomas Merton, the insightful Catholic priest, author and mystic of the last century, once wrote in his journal, “May this Lent be blessed with emptiness, peace and faith.” These were words for himself.
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His words have also stayed with me over the years and I share them with you hoping that they will help this Lent especially be a time of Reflection and Renewal for you, your parishes and our diocese.
For Lent is a time to ponder what it means to be Blessed – to be aware of Gods presence with us as we face singly and together whatever life brings our way. To do that, we’ll need to embrace the kind of emptiness that gets us out of the way and helps us to focus on God and God’s love for us in Christ, and not just our problems we face. In that God-filled space in our lives this Lent, we’ll truly experience “the peace of God that passes all understanding.” We’ll also discover that God’s peace steadies us in and for our lives and ministries.
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In such blessedness, emptiness and peace we’ll find our faith renewed, restored and strengthened. And that’s what Lent is all about.
So this Lent as we all prepare for the renewal Easter brings, may we be blessed with such God-given emptiness, peace and faith that we’ll be empowered to be the Christian people God in Jesus Christ calls us to be.
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