From Ashes to Alleluia
Dear All Saints Parish Family,
The yearly rhythm of the Liturgical Calendar has us now just on the cusp of the holy season of Lent. Yes, we will have our WORLD-RENOWNED Knights of Columbus Friday Fish Fries and Stations of the Cross. I also want to invite us each to enter deeply into the power of Lent.
How do you enter into the season? The Church instructs us to make it a season of drying out in the desert through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It’s become quite popular for people to say “I’m not giving up anything this year, but I am adding something.” I think most people have good intentions with such an approach to Lent, as we should be adding more charitable works, adding more time for prayer. But such an approach does miss out on the point that sacrifice – fasting – is an integral part of these 40 days, just as much as prayer and giving are. Take some time this week, asking the Holy Spirit to show you what needs to be sacrificed, what in my life needs to be set aside and given to the Lord, this Lent. Prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to help you desire to pray more, maybe to make a weekly visit to Our Lord in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Ask the Holy Spirit to make your heart docile to the times He is calling you to give, of your time, of money, or of your particular skills and talents. Pray now so Ash Wednesday doesn’t catch you off guard and you end up settling for “no chocolates” again this year.
We will be offering many opportunities in the coming weeks to help us all enter into Lent with purpose and conviction. There will be lots of opportunities for Confession with penance services here and in all our neighboring parishes; we will have a Lenten Mission evening with the Sisters of Life from New York City; our Oasis Parish Holy Hours will return; we are planning a powerful and beautiful Holy Week to help us enter into the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord. Keep an eye on the bulletin and e-News so you can take advantage of everything going on and everything coming up!
A new tradition that I’m excited to incorporate this Lent is the “Burying of the Alleluia”. At Masses next weekend, the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, the priests will process out of the church carrying a plaque with ALLELUIA written on it, a word of praise that always evokes the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus. St. John Paul II famously said during an Easter Angelus teaching, “We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song!” The Alleluia during the Liturgy goes away during the Lenten season, so hiding it or “burying” it helps us to better anticipate its return at the Easter Vigil. So, look forward to that the first weekend of March!
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor