Of Manty Lenten Things
Our rich Catholic tradition drives many of Lent’s practices and themes, starting with the scriptures on Ash Wednesday that set a tone which is further developed on the First Sunday of Lent.
On Ash Wednesday, we always hear from the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 6:1-6, 16-18) telling us to do three things:
• Be Charitable – Scripture calls it giving alms. This is a call to be extra charitable. We are encouraged to be extra charitable to those who are poor. This means those physically poor as well as others experiencing poverty of attention, love, support, etc.
• Pray – This simply invites us to pray more and to pray in new and different ways, thus expanding our spiritual life.
• Fast – Fasting is an ancient spiritual exercise that intentionally creates a void or hunger, which accentuates our hunger for God and for spiritual growth.
The first weekend of Lent tells us that Jesus went into the desert. This helps us to follow several rituals:
• We mark Lent by 40 days, which is a highly symbolic number mentioned throughout scripture, always meaning ‘a long time’
• We remove water from the holy water fonts and baptismal fonts. This signifies the dryness of the desert and our ultimate longing for the waters of new birth, and the Baptism of the Catechumens at Easter.
If you find yourself instinctively dipping your finger into the small fonts at the doors of the Church or our four main fonts in the center aisle, allow yourself to feel the dryness and be reminded of the gift of water that always brings life, and let the absence of water fuel your desire for the life-giving waters of Easter.
• Isolation – Jesus was alone in the desert, and this invites us to take extra time in self-reflection and prayer.
• Reconciliation –As we take the time to reflect on life, we are also invited to examine our Conscience and
Reconcile with God and others through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Please be attentive to the fact that we offer the Sacrament of one-on-one Individual Reconciliation (some still call it Confession) EVERY Monday evening from 5:30 -7:00 pm in the church. Extra priests and expanded times will be added toward the end of Lent, and we will offer a Communal Sacrament of Reconciliation on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:00 pm in the church. This is the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered with communal prayer, Scripture readings, Examination of Conscience and Act of Contrition, followed by INDIVIDUAL Confession, and Penance and Absolution by one of several priests.
Kindness as Charity
This year we here at Holy Family are placing additional emphasis on a unique form of Charity – Kindness. As Gene Garcia, our Director of Liturgical Arts and Music so beautifully writes for us presiders:
Rather than mere politeness, KINDNESS is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is an active, sacrificial and intentional virtue – not just a feeling that calls each of us to treat others with compassion, regardless of their actions or beliefs. Rooted in the Gospel, KINDNESS involves seeing the divine dignity in others and forgiving as Christ forgives.
This generates a powerful question:
Holy Family, are we willing to BE MORE KIND, as God is Kind?
As I have reflected on my own opportunities to be kind, I am aware of extending this invitation/challenge to a significant community in my life –my family. One brother lives in Arlington Heights, one in Chicago, one in Huntley, and one in Macomb, Illinois. I am going to ask them to participate and simply see how much KINDNESS our family can generate in the name of Holy Family Catholic Community. Can your family do the same?
All of this encourages us to embrace a much deeper and spiritual aspect of Kindness, and to embrace these 40 days of KINDNESS as a way of extending and sharing God’s KINDNESS.
Fish Fry Fridays and Stations of The Cross
Two additional staples of Lent are our delicious Fish Frys on Friday evenings in our Social Center from 5:00 – 6:45 pm. I want to thank our dedicated Knights of Columbus for their hard work and generous hospitality.
Each Friday evening following the Fish Fry, various members of our staff and parishioners lead the devotion of Stations of the Cross, reflecting on the final hours of Jesus’ life – his earthly, physical life that is. We are proud to present these Stations with varying themes and encourage you to pray the Stations with us. They are also available in a virtual form on our website. Our academy students will present the Living Stations on Wednesday, April 1 at 9:30 am following morning Mass.