March 10, 2023

Dear Friends,

This week is the perfect example of expecting the unexpected and never thinking

we know better than anyone else. Who knew that we were going to see our favorite 4- letter s-word crop up, not once but twice this week and probably again next week! We have been saying oh this has been a mild winter, and we have been lucky there has been no snow. I have enjoyed the mild winter and not having to worry how closely we have budgeted for snow removal. I have also been aware of the fact that we are still in the grasp of winter, no matter how mild things have been.

How often will people use the phrase (or parts of the phrase) from Matthew’s Gospel in the 24th or the 25th chapter - Keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. People mutter the phrase (or some semblance of it) when they are talking about anything, not just the time in which we will meet the Lord. What is the motto used in Scouts? Be prepared. It is something that all of us should be doing on a consistent basis. Lent seems to be the time in which we are reminded of the call to be prepared, to focus on the unknown and the directions in which we are being called. It is nothing new and is something I feel that we inherently are working on.

Lent is a time in which we try to do better, give something up, go to mass, pray the rosary, go to stations of the cross or confession. I believe that we seem to think of the 40 days of Lent and then we are free to do what we used to do. No, this is the time for us to get things going in the right direction and keep moving forward. Get out of your comfort zone, so to speak, and let Lent guide you into being ready. If your normal routine is Ash Wednesday and give something up, that’s great, add going to Confession. If your Lent is Ash Wednesday, Confession, and giving something up, add the Rosary or Eucharistic Adoration. There is so much more that we can build upon on a daily basis if we take that time to get ourselves ready.

Be prepared, keep watch. Whatever phrase you want to use to have a Lent that is amazing to you or, as mentioned a few weeks back, to have the Best Lent EVER!!! (sorry got a little excited). I encourage you to join us this weekend (after you shovel your walkways and driveways) for Living Stations of the Cross, following our 11:00 mass or following the 2:00 mass on Sunday. There is always something so great and powerful about the stations! I believe Living Stations adds another level when we can experience them. They help us find our connection to God during Lent as we are getting ready to try to plan for the unexpected.

God Bless, Fr. Brian

P.S. What do you call a happy penguin? A pen-grin!