The halfway mark of every Lenten season is a time when the liturgy begins to remind us of the upcoming celebrations of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection.
BEND — The week’s travels covered more miles than usual and more days than usual but fewer miles on any given day than most weekends. The travel began with a trip to Hood River for the missioning ceremony of the CEO of Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital.
My cousin, John Pobuda of Sun City West, Ariz., died this year on his 89th birthday, Valentine’s Day. Our family Marine was very much like a big brother to me. My first memories of John go back to the days of World War II when he was granted a break from action in the Pacific and enjoyed a leave back home with family and friends.
BEND — The confirmation travel season has begun. From now until the end of May nearly every weekend will involve some kind of travel to a parish for the conferral of confirmation. This past weekend involved a trip to Milton-Freewater. There, besides conferring the sacrament of confirmation on 40 young people, I had the opportunity to see and bless the newly completed parish hall.
During this Year of the Priest, I have taken advantage of opportunities to write about priests outstanding in their life and ministry whom the church has honored with canonization and/or beatification.
BEND — Lent is a graced season. Lent is a penitential season. Lent is a reflective season. Lent is a hopeful season. Lent is a preparatory season. Lent is linked to repentance. The Ash Wednesday application of ashes is accompanied by the sobering phrase: Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.
Second Sunday of Lent
Genesis 15:5-12,17-18
Philippians 3:17-4:1 or 3:20-4:1
Luke 9:28b-36
It is a good thing to pay more attention to prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These are the traditional Lenten practices that the Church has never abandoned but we are asked for more.
In an Easter homily St. Augustine long ago stated, “Christ has suffered; let us die to sin.” Jesus encourages all of us to fast, to pray, and to give alms, the church’s traditional Lenten disciplines, not because they will make us look good to other people, but rather because they will help us “die to sin” and grow in our relationship with God and one another on our journey of faith.
