The Light is On for You & Catholic Reading Wednesday

Do you need a new start?  The Light is On for You!

Go to confession TONIGHT, or any Wednesday this Lent from 6:30-8:00 pm in our own church,

or any parish or chapel in the Boston Diocese.

All people are welcome to come to the Heavenly Feast, so start with a good confession to our Lord.

An introduction on how to make a good confession can be found here.  

What to do in Lent? How can we make this a holy season, growing spiritually and in our relationship with our Lord? Here's are five quick thoughts:

1. Sacrifice something - give it up. Not for yourself (aka. dieting), but as an offering to the Lord. Put this thing out of your life for a time, and allow God to fill that void with His grace.
   
2. Give alms - give from your need, not just your excess. Give money saved by making sacrifices to the poor, lonely, forgotten, and mistreated.  Unite yourself to those who suffer, and give with a sincere and generous heart.
   
3. Give time - start a habit of caring for someone that God has put in your life. This may mean beginning a commitment to volunteer, visiting a neighbor in need, or giving more dedicated time to your family.
   
4. Go to Confession - recognize your sins, faults, failings, and struggles. Confess them to the Lord sincerely, and ask for His help. God is faithful! Then go out and make amends with those whom you have hurt. Generously forgive those who have hurt you. Offer others the same new beginning which Christ has offered to each of us.
   
5. Make a habit of Prayer - start spending time with God, habitually. For some this means going to Daily Mass. For others, it means praying the Rosary, the Daily Readings, or other set devotions. For others this means cracking open the Scriptures. For others it means sitting quietly and listening to God. Whatever way you pray, just do it.

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With many thanks to our wonderful and insightful curator, Karen Celano, you can delve into a faith-related news article each Wednesday! Karen writes:

As Christians around the world are entering the second week of Lent, Ukrainian Catholics and Orthodox are using this holy season to pray and fast for peace and freedom in their country. Images such as those reported by the Washington Post of priests standing before riot police and ministering to protesters are a poignant indication that, though the roots of the crisis in Ukraine are economic and political, they have deep religious implications as well.

In this thorough article, the National Catholic Register reminds us of the persecution faced by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (an Eastern-rite Catholic Church in communion with the Holy Father) during the days of the Soviet Union. Memories of these past hostilities have spurred members of the UGCC to support the anti-government protesters who sought the ouster of embattled president Viktor Yanukovych when, amid allegations of corruption and brutality, he sought to deepen Ukraine's financial and political ties with Moscow.

The outcry against Yanukovych has brought the UGCC into alliance with the Kiev Patriarchate, a branch of the Ukranian Orthodox Church that split from the Moscow Patriarchate after the collapse of the USSR. (The Moscow Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has remained in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church.) Despite historical conflicts between the Kiev Patriarchate and the UGCC, leaders of both these churches met at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in January, signaling a potential religious realignment within Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine faces a choice of remaining allied with the Russian Orthodox Church (which has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has defended Russia’s actions in Ukraine) or of seeking to ally with the Kiev Patriarchate. But it seems that the overall story in Ukraine has been one of religious unity, especially as Russian military action appears more and more likely. Clearly, though, whatever the outcome of the political situation, Ukraine’s Christian Churches will be deeply affected.

While these dilemmas seem foreign to American minds accustomed to separation of church and state, the situation in Ukraine raises important questions about religion and society for us all. What are the religious responsibilities we as Catholics have to engage in the civic and political life of our communities? What do religions and religious leaders have to say - and should they have a say- in how countries are formed and governed? How can churches engage in interreligious and ecumenical efforts to support freedom and peace throughout the world? What are the political repercussions of church unity or disunity? What are the religious repercussions of political turmoil?

And most urgently right now: how do we support our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are now living under the threat of war? The very least we can do is to unite our Lenten sacrifices to theirs. Let us join our prayers with those of our Holy Father Pope Francis, that peace and justice will prevail in Ukraine.