It's Time: Spend 5 with Jesus: February 22, 2023

In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. If you are thinking about what you need to do to grow closer to God, to love God more and to love neighbor more, it's time to get started. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent. There are so many things to consider for this season of Lent. One thing I have been thinking about for this season of Lent is those people who I suggest have been dealt a bad hand. That is to say, those people who have not come to a relationship with Jesus because no one has presented a convincing reason why faith in Jesus even matters. I think more and more today we live in a world where it is not the case that people are surrounded by good reasons to believe in Jesus. And the consequence of all this, is, in my view obvious. We have become more self-centered. This has made us more lonely. This has caused us to suffer mental health issues. More and more people are living in a time where people feel that the most important value is to make sure they are part of a tribe that is on top. But that is not the instruction Jesus gave his disciples. Rather, he told them to teach all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But many times he told them more than this. There was the time in the gospel that Jesus told them to love their enemies, to pray for their persecutors. He told them to be neighbor to all in need. He told them to forgive not just once or twice, but to forgive a lot, yes, even every time. Lent is a time for us to recognize more fully we need God and we belong to each other. We have a tremendous responsibility for each other. Pray more, fast more, give more. That is what Lent is all about. On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update.