FM's Message | Sunday, Febuary 18th

Each Lent is another opportunity to begin the process of growing in holiness. I sometimes think of it as an imitation of Jesus, because it is, but also because it is a preparation for something bigger than us. Jesus was tempted in the desert with food, power, and privilege; he responded with humility and patience. As a result of this, He got clarity about what he was going to do and then began the whole project of proclaiming the good news, and right up to his death and resurrection stayed on the path the Father asked him to walk.
Lent is like that for us. In our sacrifices and rejections of attitudes and behaviors, or by adding the things we know we need to, we put ourselves on the path to growing in holiness, giving witness to others by the way we live our lives. Many saints say that the only sin is not getting up after “falling “into sin again. I think that this is one of their great insights. They never claim their saintliness, but they do claim their resolve. It is a good lesson for all of us.
That, I sometimes think, is what repentance is all about. The actual word implies not a change of heart, but rather a change of mind. We are challenged to change our minds about the prospect of growing in holiness. It might include some of the challenges Jesus faced, but it could be something more modern that draws us away from God.
One of the observations from scholars is that point that all the demons knew Jesus. Although their reputation is falsehoods, destruction, and lies, they cannot help themselves in proclaiming who Jesus is. I believe that this frees us to proclaim Jesus to others. When they say, “aren’t you a sinner too?”, our response can be that though indeed we are not perfect yet, we know Jesus, are trying to come into closer contact with him, but despite our brokenness, we are still trying to proclaim who He is for everyone. It starts with us, and this Lent is another opportunity to trust God in our sacrifices of any type. Be bold and ask God for some help in growing in holiness and He never, in my experience, fails to answer. It may not be on our timeline, but we must trust that He will direct us to the right path at the right time.  Of course, prayer, which is conscious contact with God is essential, and that leads me to the final point.
In years past we distributed a book, a coin, a stone, or a challenge to show the good works of the Lenten journey. This year we are introducing Hallow, an online prayer site. A generous parishioner has donated the cost of 500 slots to allow all of us to participate in this daily exercise of prayer and reflection. By logging in each day, we are guided in a prayer and meditation, and it can be quite short, or as long as we want. It is a full site. The word Hallow is used, we recognize, in the Our Father. It is an old English word for holy. And that is the complete point. I hope that this use of the website, along with the other Lenten exercises, will lead all of us to a richer and grace-filled Lent. This in turn prepares us to once again, with hearts and minds changed, to be truly open to the great grace of celebrating the triduum and Easter.
Peace,
Father Murray


Building news. This week we had a return visit from the roofers. (Professional Roofing is owned by a son of the parish whose own son is now the principal roofer.) They repaired the flat roof on the side entrance and did some caulking on the chimney to close a place where water was getting into the building. They also did a lot of work on the rectory. Apparently, someone some time ago repaired a falling gutter with rope. This resulted in an eventual failure, but also a water dam that caused some of the facia board to be rotted. It looks like a long spring. The good news is that we were not charged and so saved $3,500.00.  In addition, we also heard from the masonry company that is doing the front of IC and then the chimney and the rear wall. They will work around the building to accommodate the weddings we have. The front doors will still be accessible. According to the company that is doing the work on the schools, they also will begin the work on the two schools starting in April. Stay tuned.