Very soon, a wonderful season in the Church will begin again: Lent. I say “again” because year after year the Roman Catholic Church insists on repentance, conversion, to see God faceto face, and to ask Him to forgive our sins. But, why does the Church say this again and again, year after year? Why does the Church always invite us to prayer, fasting, almsgiving, penance, sacrifice, conversion? How many times have we heard about this in the sanctuary through the preaching of many priests? Once? Twice? Three times? Thirty times? Fifty times? Eighty times? One hundred times?… In my case, I have heard about this fortythree times, because that is how old I am.
The answer to these questions is very simple, and sometimes we do not pay enough attention. The Church is inviting us year after year to think about all of these because she is thinking about our salvation. If you and I belong to the
Roman Catholic Church, go to the Eucharist, practice the sacraments, it is not because we do not have anything else to do, but because we want to go to the Kingdom of God, that means to gain eternal life.
We need to think about our salvation; hence, all the elements that the Church is introducing us, such as fasting, penance, almsgiving, sacrifice, service, etc., are tools that help us to think how we can be closer to God, surrender to Him, and reach eternal life. If we do not think about our salvation and eternal life, our faith does not make sense. I do not go to Church because I have nothing interesting to do or because my mom, dad, child, or friends are there, but because I want to have a closer encounter with Christ.
Thus, not only during this Lenten season, but all the days of our lives that we should pray and celebrate the sacraments, such as the sacraments of Eucharist and Penance (confession or reconciliation). Let us serve one another and let us allow our love for Christ to be reflected in our service to our neighbors. Through this love and service, we gain salvation and eternal life.
May this Lenten season lead us to have a special encounter with Christ to get to the house of our Heavenly Father.
So, when we go to Church this coming Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of this great season, let us think about the words that our priest or lay people say at the moment we receive ashes on our forehead: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel,” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Both sentences should, once again, make us to think about our salvation. Why will we go to receive ashes this coming Wednesday? Will I receive because of tradition, or because I really want to change my life? May this Ash Wednesday help us to think about our spiritual life, change many aspects in our lives, and prepare ourselves to go to the house of our heavenly Father.
God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!
Fr. Jorge Ramirez
Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer. Ash Wednesday takes place 40 days before Easter Tridium, and is chiefly observed by Catholics, although many other Christians observe it too. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the priest or one of the ministers of the parish applies the ashes to a person’s forehead, they speak the words: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Alternatively, they may speak the words, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
The hours for Ash Wednesday are:
| 6:30 am | Morning Prayer and reception of Ashes |
| 9:00 am | Mass and reception of Ashes |
| 11:05 am | Mass and reception of Ashes at Maplewood |
| 12:15 pm | Prayer service and reception of Ashes |
| 5:30 pm | Mass and reception of Ashes |
If you have relatives or friends who are sick and cannot come to the Church and want to receive the Ashes, Confession, Holy Communion, or Anointing of the sick, please let me know. For more information, please contact the parish office at (585) 265-1616.
St. Valentine’s Day is coming soon. Renew the love that you have for your spouse, family, relative, or friend at Mass. On February 10th and 11th, during the Mass, there will be a special blessing for matrimonies and couples who are engaged, or dating. Those who are single, don’t worry. We’ll also have a special blessing for you because we appreciate your friendship and support for our parish. St. Valentine’s Day is also the friendship day. Please, come and receive this wonderful blessing by God.
