Lent

Each of us is called to be a companion and helper for others on the way to repentance. The ashes that we receive on Ash Wednesday mark us as fellow travelers to Easter glory.

Lent is a time for holy reading and spiritual growth. Two new daily meditation books and a new collection of reflections relating to Christ’s resurrection offer good reading for Lent and Holy Week.

Up to 60 people from St. Leonard’s participated in gatherings during Lent as part of the local V Encuentro process forming two groups, one for Spanish speakers and one for English speakers.

The 12-hour event, in its second year in the Diocese of St. Cloud, is similar to “24 Hours for the Lord,” an event held by Pope Francis in Rome to help every person experience the power of God’s love and mercy through the sacrament of reconciliation.

Lent is a time for Christians to reflect on the ways they have disappointed God and resolve to return to him with their whole hearts, Pope Francis said.

The solemnity of the Annunciation is really a good Lenten feast. It helps us to observe Lent by placing before us the sacred name of the Son announced to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel.

I’m offering it up. There is this challenge in my life and I’m not going to let it get the best of me. I’ve been praying about it for at least a year now. And the Lord is bringing me to greater peace and understanding about it.

Although the word almsgiving does not come up much in regular conversation, Catholics hear it plenty during Lent since it is one of the three pillars of the church’s Lenten practices along with prayer and fasting.