Bishop's Letters | Pastoral Letter Lent 1997

In his Apostolic Letter inviting the world to prepare for the great celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Our Lord's birth, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has recommended that the year 1997 be focussed on the person of Christ. As Catholics, our entire religious activity should be aimed at bringing us into fuller union with our Lord and God.

To assist us in this, the Church encourages us to concentrate on Our Lord (1) in prayer, (2) in fasting and self-denial, and (3) in corporal works of mercy. When we read or hear the Scriptures, we see how important each of these activities was to our Lord Jesus Christ, and what a large part they played in His life.

(1) Frequently the Lord drew apart from His disciples to spend time in prayer to His heavenly Father. In many parables, He taught us the importance of asking in order that we may receive. He gave us the Lord's Prayer. So in Lent, especially, I encourage you to pray even more often, using your favourite prayers, and especially using the greatest prayer we have, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Mass which gives us Christ Himself.

(2) Throughout His public life we witness the self-denial of Our Lord. The scriptures tell us that he spent forty days in the desert in prayer and fasting. He gave His time to the service of others and was at their beck and call. Ultimately He offered the greatest sacrifice, His Passion and Death on the Cross for our salvation. So in Lent we fast and abstain on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. We are reminded that the law which made Friday abstinence voluntary also encouraged us to undertake some work of charity or self-denial in the place of the abstinence. We are reminded too, of the traditional Catholic practice of offering up the little crosses which come our way each day, in union with the offering of Christ, for the welfare of others.

(3) Finally, in Lent we are enjoined to copy our Saviour's works of mercy. We know that Jesus Christ spent Himself in curing the sick, healing the lepers, feeding the hungry, and caring about all in need. In these days of cutbacks in so many areas of our society, more and more is being asked of the private citizen. I know that your days are already busy but I ask you to make a little more time for others especially for the sick or the elderly, those whom you personally know would benefit from your care and love. Many worthy causes seek your alms-giving, but across Canada the Church in Lent asks your generosity in the "Share Lent" collection which is used in part by Development and Peace to improve living standard in needy countries.

May this Lent bring each of us into fuller union with God by our imitation of Christ. May it at the same time play a real part in our preparation for the Jubilee year 2000.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Bishop of Hamilton