A time to refocus on prayer

I hope your Lent is going well and is a time of grace. It can be a great time to refocus on prayer. On March 7th the second graders had their First Communion retreat; so keep them in your prayer as that day comes ever closer for them, that they grow in deeper friendship with Jesus. Next weekend the plan is to have a representative from Global Outreach speak to us of a great opportunity to host a student, not only enlarging their sense of community but ours too. On Feb. 19th Pope Leo XIV spoke to his clergy. I want to share some of the parts of his talk that can apply to us also. “The burning fire is the irrevocable gift that the Lord has given us; it is the Spirit who has traced the path of our Church, the history and tradition we have received, and what we routinely carry out in our communities. At the same time, we must humbly admit that the flame of this fire does not always retain the same vitality and needs to be rekindled. Pressed by rapid cultural changes and the environments in which our mission unfolds, sometimes beset by weariness and the weight of routine, or discouraged by a growing detachment from faith and religious practice, we feel the need to feed and rekindle this fire.” He speaks of the work of spreading the faith in the parishes and says “However, difficulties and misunderstandings can also be an opportunity to reflect on the pastoral challenges we face. In particular, regarding the relationship between Christian initiation and evangelization, we need a radical change. Ordinary pastoral care is structured according to a classical model that is primarily concerned with ensuring the administration of the Sacraments, but this model presupposes that faith is transmitted in some way by the environment, both by society and by the family. In reality, the cultural and anthropological changes that have occurred in recent decades indicate that this is no longer the case; in fact, we are witnessing a growing erosion of religious practice. Therefore, it is urgent to resume proclaiming the Gospel: this is the priority. With humility, but without being discouraged, we must recognize that ‘a portion of our baptized people do not experience their belonging to the Church’ and this also demands vigilance against ‘sacramentalization without other forms of evangelization.’” We are all called to share our relationship with Jesus that goes beyond information. May such efforts be a part of your Lent. 

— Fr. John A. Potaczek