Dear Friends in Christ,
The Scriptures this weekend speak to us of the Lord’s call to repentance. Both the prophet Jonah in the first reading, and Jesus himself in the gospel announce this message. What is repentance? In Biblical terms, repentance always has to do with turning back to God. The story of the Bible is one of people who face continual temptations to follow their own will, to look around at what other people are doing, or to forget about what God has already told them. Thus, repentance becomes an act of remembering God and turning back to him.
The holy season of repentance will soon be upon us in the Church, as we begin Lent with Ash Wednesday on February 14th. I look forward to Lent each year as an opportunity for myself to turn back to God and to remember what he has done for me. For our parish, it is my sincere hope that this will be a time of greater simplicity and spiritual focus for all of us. While there will certainly be much to prepare for Holy Week and Easter, I am asking all of our parish groups to keep a more spiritual focus in their meetings during the season. You can also expect the liturgy to be marked by greater sobriety and silence, which can open up the way for us into deeper connection and belonging with God.
I will be away from the parish for the next two weeks for a time of vacation and pilgrimage with a few other priests. Please know that I will remember you all in Masses and prayers during this time. I count on your prayers for me as well.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus,
Fr. Thomas J. Byrne