The Passionists of Holy Cross Province

The Love that Compels

Daily Scripture, February 28, 2020

Scripture:

Isaiah 58:1-9a
Mathew 9:14-15

Reflection:

Lent 2020 began two days ago!  This time of fasting, praying and giving alms is upon us once again!  How are we going to ‘do’ Lent this season?!  Will it be less chocolate, more exercise, less grouchiness, more smiles, less busyness, more quiet and reflection?!  The list can go on and on, some of it is a carryover from what we did or did not accomplish last Lent or the ones before that!  Each season I renew my commitment to do Lent better!  I’m sure I am not alone in this regard!

Lent is always a favorite season of the church year for me.  It challenges me to step back and take some personal time to refresh my inner spirit so that I may truly be an instrument of God’s peace and love!  It is not easy because I feel I always fall short of what God expects of me.  The following words from the scriptures of today remind us that God takes care of all.

‘A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn’

‘Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and the Lord will be with you.’

Isaiah reminds us that we are to be about helping the poor, hungry, oppressed, homeless, naked and all others being victimized and treated unjustly.  This time of Lent is calling me to be present to those in need, to pray with and for them, to try and relieve their suffering in whatever small way that I am able to do.  Today we took members of our RCIA community to visit one of our many shelters that help the homeless find housing and support.  In this way, I believe we are also called to support these programs that provide hope and comfort to our brothers and sisters in need.  Once a month some friends and I volunteer to serve soup and sandwiches to the hungry who come to our cathedral. In a homily given recently, our pastor encouraged us to pray daily for a two-week period for someone who has wronged us or whom we just don’t like.  He said it will change our hearts and help us to be more forgiving and loving.

My prayer this Lent is that I will be more contrite and humble, that I will focus on the goodness around me and not succumb to evil ways that move me away from God’s love and goodness!  May your Lenten experience offer you these same experiences.  Happy Lent to all.  Peace.


Theresa Secord is a Pastoral Associate at St. Agnes Parish, Louisville, Kentucky.

Ash Wednesday

On March 2, the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday. 

Most of us learned early in our Catholic lives that Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, and that is a time of special sacrifice in preparation for the Easter celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection.

Dear brothers and sisters, every moment of our lives is a time for believing, hoping and loving…. These words of Pope Francis, taken from his Lenten Message of last year, 2021, and echoing the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, can still inspire our answer to the question: “What am I giving up for Lent?” 

We can draw our Lenten sacrifices out of our daily life: 

Share our faith in God’s presence by sharing in prayer with our family or with those in our parish community.
Share our hope in God’s promises by encouraging positive and respectful dialogue in our family circle and among our friends. 
Share the charity God has bestowed on us in the Passion of Jesus, with those whose sufferings are ignored or aggravated.

Let us pray for one another as we enter the season of Lent. Our Passionist “motto” can be our daily prayer during Lent, “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.”