By April Bailey, Director of Faith Formation
There is a lot happening in this next week. The Superbowl this weekend (go Chiefs)! We are celebrating World Marriage Day and are blessed to have Archbishop Naumann here this weekend to celebrate Mass with us. And Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday are on the same day! A fun Valentine’s card I saw this year read: Roses are red, so’s the carnation, let’s go to Confession and adoration! Happy Lenten Valentine’s Day.
With Lent beginning, it seems like a good time to refresh on ways to grow this Lenten season, which is a season of conversion. Here are 3 ways to work towards an interior conversion: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Fasting: We all know that during lent we are encouraged to give something up. No matter what it is, fasting helps us to prioritize our life more appropriately, offers us a way to work on self-discipline, gives us more opportunities to learn how God is all that we need, and helps us to build healthy habits. So, no matter how big or small, find something to give up this lent. And, if you forget or fall, then start back up the next day. That is the beauty of grace, forgiveness, and growth.
Prayer: We are also encouraged to increase our prayer life during these 40 days of Lent. There are a lot of different opportunities to grow in prayer here at Prince of Peace. Some of our usual offerings: adoration (find times here: www.popolathe.org/adoration), rosary group on Wednesday evenings at 7pm, Bible studies and small groups. During Lent
some other opportunities are: Ladies of Peace Lenten Retreat, Stations of the Cross on Fridays, and the Men Under Construction Conference. Check the bulletin and social media for more opportunities. And you can also find ways to add prayer into the ordinary moments of your life (praying a rosary in the evening, reading Scripture, praying while you brush your teeth, etc.). One year, every time I walked through a doorway I tried to remember to say “Jesus, I love you” or “Be with me Jesus”. I admit I didn’t do it every time, but my attention to God increased. I encourage you to find some way, small or big, to add a little more prayer to your day.
Almsgiving: The Catechism tells us “as one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is "a witness to fraternal charity" and “a work of justice pleasing to God." (No. 2462). We have a very active Social Needs ministry and they are always providing ways to help us serve those in need. And this Lent, we are having a parish-wide Serve Day on Saturday, March 9. It takes each one of us to care for those that have been placed in our lives. Please consider joining us in our many efforts.
Last, but certainly not least, I encourage you to take advantage of the additional opportunities of Confession. Penance is an experience of the gift of God's boundless mercy. And what better time to enter that experience and allow God to pour innumerable graces upon you.
A reminder of our usual Confession times: Wednesday at noon and Saturday at 3:30-4:30pm, 1st Friday Confession at 6pm, and 1st Saturday at 9am. During Lent we also offer Confession every Wednesday evening from 6-7pm, and our parish Penance Service will be on Tuesday, March 19, at 7pm.
Here is a short step-by-step on how to go to Confession.
Sign of the Cross... "Amen."
"Bless me Father for I have sinned.
It has been ________ since my last confession."
State your sins and say, "I'm sorry for these and all the sins of my life."
Receive a penance... Say Act of Contrition.
Receive Absolution and do the Sign of the Cross... say “Amen”.
(Go in peace...) "Amen. Thank you, Father."
Leave the room and do penance!
Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.
In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned
against you, whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend with your help, to do penance, to sin no more,
and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In his name, my God, have mercy.
Amen.
Peace,
April