From the Pastor's Pen - Third Week of Lent

We now enter the core of Lent. These three Sundays—the 3rd, 4th and 5th—are about conversion. This is clearest in the readings of Cycle A, which we’ll have again next year. Those gospels are The Woman at the Well, The Man Born Blind, and The Raising of Lazarus: the classic stories of conversion, which we used on our recent retreat. This year’s gospel cycle, from Luke, has its own interesting group of conversion stories: a threat of a civic calamity, the Prodigal Son (and the resentful older brother), and the woman caught in adultery. As we continue whatever practices we have adopted for Lent (surely including some extra forms of prayer and charity) let’s let our hearts be touched by those who converted their heart to Jesus and his complete trust in and commitment to his Father.

I hope that I’m back among you this weekend. As I write this it’s Tuesday, the day after surgery, and I’m doing well. Still have to take it easy so things can heal. The doctor did find problems that were causing pain and headaches. He prayed with me at the end of his pre-op visit. It was good to be in his hands, and the staff and Fr. Nickolai have been very attentive. It’s certainly part of my Lent to, as I said in my Wednesday evening talk, not go through this passively or as a victim, but actively uniting it to the much greater suffering of Jesus and adopt his trust and commitment, as above.