May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
The Holy Father will change during this Lenten season -- but
will I? Will you? The Gospel will not change. The faith once delivered unto the saints will
not change. The confession of the faith
of Peter and the office of Peter will not change. The man who holds this office, however, will
change during this particular season of Lent.
But, dear brothers and sisters, will I change, will you change, during
this particular Lenten season?
This Lent, when I encounter Christ hungry in the desert from
his days of fasting, will I eat only what I need, and some days a little less,
so that I will hunger more for the bread of life and for every word that comes
from the mouth of God?
This Lent, when I read and speak of Christ praying in the
garden of Gethsemane, will I embrace that one important thing, and rather than
being busy about many things, will I be at the feet of the Savior?
This Lent, when I am confronted with the abundant generosity
of Christ, particularly as he bestows his mercy without measure and freely
offers his precious life to redeem and sanctify my life, will I respond with
generosity in almsgiving to the poor and compassion to the suffering?
Will I be changed?
Will you? Will I let God be God
and Christ be Lord, just a little more this Lenten season? Will I offer to God completely the territory
of my body and soul that He conquered by the blood of His cross and claimed for
himself in the waters of my baptism?
Will I be changed?
Will you? We come today to be
marked with ashes as a sign of repentance.
We come to be marked as a people who seek to be changed. By God’s grace, and my cooperation with that
grace, I will be changed this Lenten season.
By God’s grace, and your cooperation with that grace, so will you. From sinner to saint, and from glory to
glory, we will be changed by the unchanging love of Christ. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
