Lent is the autumn of the spiritual life

Dear Rev. Fathers, Brothers, Sisters and Lay faithful,

Greetings in the name of Jesus who bore our sins on the corss !

With the dawn of this month of March we enter into the holy season of Lent. Lent is the time for focusing on the heart, a time for asking questions about our spiritual health. The season of Lent is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's resurrection at Easter and it is an opportunity for the faithful to undertake the practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as a means to know Christ better and follow His will more faithfully. As the three pillars of Lent, prayer, fasting and almsgiving are not meant to be undertaken simply to fulfil the rules of Lent. Rather, the prayer from the heart; fasting from those things that interfere in strengthening a relationship with God; and almsgiving with compassion for those in need will make the Lenten journey a fruitful period of renewal. Lent is also the time for the baptized to renew their baptismal commitment.

The Vatican released Pope Francis' Lenten message on 24 February 2022 in which Pope Francis based his message on a passage from St Paul's Letter to the Galatians, "Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest if we do not give up. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all" (Gal. 6:9-10). The Holy Father goes on to connect Paul's words to the Galatians to the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. "Let us not grow tired of praying," he says, realizing that we need God and others. "Let us not grow tired of uprooting evil from our lives," embracing fasting in order "to fortify our spirit for the battle against sin,", especially through the sacrament of Confession. "Let us not grow tired of doing good in active charity towards our neighbour," giving joyfully and generously to others, especially those in most need. St Catherine of Siena beautifully states that "nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring." Indeed, we should never grow tired of doing what God wants from us. Goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity, is not achieved once and for all; they have to be realized each day. Therefore, it requires much endurance despite the obstacles that may arise on our way during this Lenten season. While it is true that we have our entire life to sow goodness, let us take special advantage of this Lenten season to care for those close to us and to reach out to our brothers and sisters who lie wounded along the path of life. Lent is a favourable time to seek out - and not to avoid - those in need; to reach out - and not to ignore - those who need a sympathetic ear and a good word; to visit - and not to abandon - those who are lonely. Let us put into practice our call to do good, and take time to love the poor and needy, those abandoned and rejected, those discriminated against and marginalized. "In God, no act of love, no matter how small, and no 'generous effort' will ever be lost," Pope Francis said.

We need to further their relationship with God by avoiding the temptation to prefer digital media to a personal encounter, and to reach out to help those in need. Christians must persevere in generously doing good in the world, bolstered by prayer and by fighting evil in their own lives, including an addiction to digital media. "Lent is a propitious time to resist these temptations and to cultivate instead a more integral form of human communication made up of authentic encounters 'face-to-face' and in person," the Pope said. Addiction to social and electronic media impoverishes our human relationships.

As St Francis de Sales states Lent is the autumn of the spiritual life during which we gather fruit to keep us going for the rest of the year. Let us enrich ourselves with spiritual treasures, which nobody can take from us and which cannot be destroyed. We will not make Lent well unless we are determined to make the most of it. Let us, therefore, spend this Lent as if it were our last, and we will make it well. Wish you all a grace-filled Lent!

Yours devotedly in Our Lord,

+ Most.Rev. S. Antonysamy
Bishop of Palayamkottai