by Br. Robert Abbatiello
Almsgiving. Prayer. Fasting. Sound familiar? Surely, they do! These three disciplines, found in the Gospel of Matthew (6:1-6, 16-18) and read on Ash Wednesday, guide us on our annual Lenten journey. On this journey we attempt to grow in holiness, to be fashioned more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus, and to experience personally and communally the call to ongoing conversion. These disciplines help us to prepare ourselves for the celebration of our redemption in the great solemnity of Easter. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is God’s definitive word that sin and death would not have the final word; that mercy and redemption would triumph over the despair and destruction with which sin and evil threaten us.
There is a temptation for many to approach Lent half-heartedly. A “been there, done that” attitude doesn’t really help to set the stage for that interior conversion we’re invited to during this penitential season. I invite you to enter into the spirit of Lent with great expectation! Invite the Lord into your heart once again—even more completely this year than last year; even more completely today than yesterday. Allow the Lord to do great things in you and for you. Yes, in YOU and for YOU! Expect to experience great joy in your spiritual life when you give the Lord the space to make his dwelling within you.
May I encourage you to make this year’s Lenten observance different from other years, to “think outside the box” when it comes to almsgiving, prayer, and fasting? Perhaps we will share our resources (time, talent and treasure) more generously. Perhaps our prayers will be directed more to the needs of others than our own. Perhaps our fasting will lead us to a deeper desire for God’s presence and action in our life. Lent is full of potential for spiritual growth and reconciliation. Even though it is a penitential season, it can still be filled with joy as we contemplate and give thanks to God for the upcoming celebration of Easter. May the power of Christ’s victory, as marked by the empty cave and the burial cloths left behind, raise us up even now, that we might be transformed by the Lord’s resurrection and live as redeemed sons and daughters of a loving, merciful, forgiving, compassionate Father.
During this season of grace and reconciliation, of resurrection and joy, please join all our friars in giving thanks to God for the gift which Pope Leo XIV has given the universal church: a special year of St. Francis in which we commemorate the 800th anniversary of Francis’ death. This special year concludes on Jan. 10, 2027, and for all members of the Franciscan family, and indeed for all the faithful, we are invited to become “models of holiness of life and constant witnesses of peace.” The decree announcing this jubilee states: “In a world where the virtual takes over the real, disagreements and social violence are part of everyday life, and peace becomes more insecure and distant every day, this Year of St. Francis spurs all of us, each according to our possibilities, to imitate the poor man of Assisi, to form ourselves as far as possible on the model of Christ.”
Thank you for your friendship, your prayers, and your generous support, all of which help our friars continue to live and spread the message of the Gospel after the example of St. Francis and following in his footsteps. May God bless you in abundance!