1st Sunday in Lent
Friends,
Hooray! It's Lent! I love this time of year. For one thing, spring is
coming! This afternoon there were birds flying around and singing on my
street, and daffodil shoots are showing where there are bare patches in the
snow. Before we know it there will be crocuses and tulips and forget-me-nots
and lilacs and roses, even. The snow is still falling but we all know what's
true about spring: you can't hold it back!
The other great thing about Lent is Lent itself. It's such a great time for
getting close to God. I like to think of Lenten disciplines as a chance to
clean out the clutter. You know how good it feels when you get a closet all
cleaned out, and you can find things in it again? That's Lent!
Some years I've taken Lent seriously, and other years I've let it slide.
When Easter comes around I find it feels a lot better if I've had the kind
of Lent with lots of letting go of unnecessary things, and bringing in some
good new things.
The three disciplines of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Here's a
suggestion for prayer: have a set time each day, even if it's just five
minutes, to be quiet with God. Just open your hands and heart and let God
in. Bask in the presence of the One who loves you. God will be basking in
your presence, too!
Here's another thought: pray with others. Come to Mass more often, or join
in Lectio Divina, or join us for morning prayer at St Joe's on Mondays and
Wednesdays at 7:30 am. There's a wonderful energy when we pray together.
Lent is a great time to do some spiritual reading, too. Pick a book and make
it yours. Mark it up, write to God in the margins. (Um, if it's your own,
that is!) I'll add a list of some good books at the end of the bulletin
maybe one of them will speak to you.
Lenten fasts can take lots of different forms. Besides fasting from sugar or
coffee or meat or snacks or whatever, one can fast from complaining or
from buying extra things or from negative thoughts. If there's someone who
particularly drives you crazy, spend some time praying for them each day in
Lent. Ask God to give them a great day! I find praying like that helps me to
be softer with people I find difficult.
Lastly, almsgiving. Find some ways to give beyond what you normally do.
Maybe set some money aside each day. Skip buying coffee and give that money
away. Be generous! Let it be a generous, giving Lent.
The point is not spiritual calisthenics. The point is getting close to God!
There's a very old prayer: "Who are you, O God? And who am I?" Find out a
bit more about yourself and about this God that's so crazy about us all,
this Lent.
One way to do a little giving this March and April is to join us at St Joe's
on Friday nights for a fish fry. Our friend and brother, Joseph Moore, is
trying to stay in this country. He came here about twenty years ago from
Liberia. His asylum petition was recently denied, and it's going to be
expensive to appeal. But we want to do everything we can to help him, so on
the Fridays of Lent we'll have a fish fry. $8 per person, no one turned
away; eat in or take out. We're hoping to have music some of these Fridays so stay tuned! And make sure to tell anyone you think might be interested.
And remember to save Thursday, March 24 if you'd like to join us for a 5:30
pot-luck and 7pm Mass.
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
Here are some suggestions for spiritual reading this Lent just some books
I've liked and want to recommend:
"The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne is one of the
most electrifying books I've read. Read Shane and get all excited about
changing the world!
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor has some lovely reflective
pieces and would be good to read either alone, or with others you could
talk about one chapter at a time. Read her on suffering
Another book that would be great for a Small Christian Community to read
together is "The World as it Should Be: Living Authentically in the Here-and
Now Kingdom of God" by Gregory Pierce
"My Life With the Saints" by James Martin is a good read. And if you like
saints, Robert Ellsberg's "All Saints" is excellent.
If you like something structured, Joyce Rupp's book, "Open the Door," has
prayers and things for each day for six weeks. I got a lot out of that book.
Lastly, just about anything by Richard Rohr, Anne Lamott or Robert Wicks
will take you deeper and enrich your Lent.
Our Wednesday morning Spanish-practice breakfasts will start up again on
March 16.
Have a blessed week, and come visit us some Sunday!
_______________________________________________________
Friends,
Hooray! It's Lent! I love this time of year. For one thing, spring is
coming! This afternoon there were birds flying around and singing on my
street, and daffodil shoots are showing where there are bare patches in the
snow. Before we know it there will be crocuses and tulips and forget-me-nots
and lilacs and roses, even. The snow is still falling but we all know what's
true about spring: you can't hold it back!
The other great thing about Lent is Lent itself. It's such a great time for
getting close to God. I like to think of Lenten disciplines as a chance to
clean out the clutter. You know how good it feels when you get a closet all
cleaned out, and you can find things in it again? That's Lent!
Some years I've taken Lent seriously, and other years I've let it slide.
When Easter comes around I find it feels a lot better if I've had the kind
of Lent with lots of letting go of unnecessary things, and bringing in some
good new things.
The three disciplines of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Here's a
suggestion for prayer: have a set time each day, even if it's just five
minutes, to be quiet with God. Just open your hands and heart and let God
in. Bask in the presence of the One who loves you. God will be basking in
your presence, too!
Here's another thought: pray with others. Come to Mass more often, or join
in Lectio Divina, or join us for morning prayer at St Joe's on Mondays and
Wednesdays at 7:30 am. There's a wonderful energy when we pray together.
Lent is a great time to do some spiritual reading, too. Pick a book and make
it yours. Mark it up, write to God in the margins. (Um, if it's your own,
that is!) I'll add a list of some good books at the end of the bulletin
maybe one of them will speak to you.
Lenten fasts can take lots of different forms. Besides fasting from sugar or
coffee or meat or snacks or whatever, one can fast from complaining or
from buying extra things or from negative thoughts. If there's someone who
particularly drives you crazy, spend some time praying for them each day in
Lent. Ask God to give them a great day! I find praying like that helps me to
be softer with people I find difficult.
Lastly, almsgiving. Find some ways to give beyond what you normally do.
Maybe set some money aside each day. Skip buying coffee and give that money
away. Be generous! Let it be a generous, giving Lent.
The point is not spiritual calisthenics. The point is getting close to God!
There's a very old prayer: "Who are you, O God? And who am I?" Find out a
bit more about yourself and about this God that's so crazy about us all,
this Lent.
One way to do a little giving this March and April is to join us at St Joe's
on Friday nights for a fish fry. Our friend and brother, Joseph Moore, is
trying to stay in this country. He came here about twenty years ago from
Liberia. His asylum petition was recently denied, and it's going to be
expensive to appeal. But we want to do everything we can to help him, so on
the Fridays of Lent we'll have a fish fry. $8 per person, no one turned
away; eat in or take out. We're hoping to have music some of these Fridays so stay tuned! And make sure to tell anyone you think might be interested.
And remember to save Thursday, March 24 if you'd like to join us for a 5:30
pot-luck and 7pm Mass.
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
Here are some suggestions for spiritual reading this Lent just some books
I've liked and want to recommend:
"The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne is one of the
most electrifying books I've read. Read Shane and get all excited about
changing the world!
"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor has some lovely reflective
pieces and would be good to read either alone, or with others you could
talk about one chapter at a time. Read her on suffering
Another book that would be great for a Small Christian Community to read
together is "The World as it Should Be: Living Authentically in the Here-and
Now Kingdom of God" by Gregory Pierce
"My Life With the Saints" by James Martin is a good read. And if you like
saints, Robert Ellsberg's "All Saints" is excellent.
If you like something structured, Joyce Rupp's book, "Open the Door," has
prayers and things for each day for six weeks. I got a lot out of that book.
Lastly, just about anything by Richard Rohr, Anne Lamott or Robert Wicks
will take you deeper and enrich your Lent.
Our Wednesday morning Spanish-practice breakfasts will start up again on
March 16.
Have a blessed week, and come visit us some Sunday!
_______________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Church in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14603
An Inclusive Church in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14603
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