Today we begin the Season of Lent. This is an invitation to conversion and interior renewal to prepare for the greatest feast of Easter.  The Church encourages us to purify our hearts and souls and begin again.

We can exercise dominion over ourselves through mortifying our senses:

1. Let the eyes be truly mirrors of the soul. Open them to receive and give the light of virtue and grace. Close them to sinful influences.
2. Let the tongue free itself to form words of goodness, of love and of truth. So let silence surround the formation of each word.
3. Let the mind open itself only to thoughts of peace and mercy, of understanding and salvation. Never let it be sullied by judgement and criticism, much less by malice and condemnation.
4. Let the heart by closed firmly to every inordinate attachment to self, to people and to the world in which we live; that it may open itself to the fullness of the love of God and neighbour.

It is very important to go to Confession often and to prepare well for this sacrament.

Turn off the television!  This has become an idol, which is adored by so many today and countless hours are wasted, that could be far better spent.

Focus on deepening your prayer life. If you are in Lower Chittering Adoration is available 24/7 at the Divine Mercy Shrine. Spend more time heart to Heart with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. This time is irreplaceable. Make the Holy Mass where possible central to your daily life. Pray the Rosary every day with attention and from the heart, meditating on the profound mysteries of Christ’s life, like Our Lady did during her time on earth. Allow time each day, around 20 minutes for spiritual reading. For example, the Bible, Catechism or Book of Heaven. 

Without God we are nothing. The ashes remind us that one day we will return to the dust, like the container of ashes on the altar; as we await the resurrection of our bodies.

Let’s show all that we want to improve by the way we act. Jesus is our model and Lent is a time of spiritual growth, change and hope. Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!