“It is in being tested that we come to know ourselves.”

Like Jesus, we are being led by the Spirit out into the desert of Lent, into the wilderness, so that we can come to know and appreciate our need for God. It is here that we can come to know ourselves better. We come face to face with our weaknesses, our fears, and our struggles. By embarking on a journey of 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we orientate ourselves to God and his love for each of us and thus enable ourselves to reach out in love to others. This Lent is a wonderful opportunity to hear God, our loving Father, whispering to us his words of love and healing.

The reason we start this Lenten journey is to prepare ourselves to celebrate who we really are. We do this in the 50 days of Easter time. We are loved by God, sons and daughters of the Father. We have been reborn in water and the Holy Spirit. We are part of his family through Baptism. Pope Francis, in his letter for Lent, says: “Lent leads to Easter: the “retreat” is not an end in itself, but a means of preparing us to experience the Lord’s passion and cross with faith, hope and love, and thus to arrive at the resurrection.”

Those who are to be baptised at the Easter Vigil (catechumens) are on their own special journey to new life. There are six adults preparing for baptism in our parish community. They went with many from around the diocese to the Cathedral of St George’s, where Archbishop John called them to baptism. This Liturgy is called “The Rite of Election.” During the Rite the catechumens were formally accepted for baptism and they signed their names in a book as a sign of their enduring commitment. The Archbishop encouraged them with these words; “God is always faithful to those he calls: now it is your duty, as it is ours, both to be faithful to him in return and to strive courageously to reach the fulness of truth, which your election opens up before you.”

Almighty and ever living God,
you invite us deeper into your world, your people, your Lent.
May this time be one of outward focus;
seeking you in those we often ignore.
Help us live a Lent focused on freedom, generosity, and encounter.
Give us hearts hungry to serve you
and those who need what we have to give.

May this Lent be a time of healing for us all and a time of deep reflection for those who are to be baptised at Easter.