The holy season of Lent is almost here. I’m excited to make this year’s Lenten journey with you and hopefully to celebrate Holy Week and Easter with you in-person. The winter of the pandemic has been long. We can see light at the end of the tunnel.
What shall we do to make Lent 2022 a very holy and meaningful one? May the Holy Spirit inspire and guide you.
Two scripture quotes that the Holy Spirit has given me for our Lenten journey are these:
‘Lord, to whom shall we go, You have the message of eternal life’ and ‘Yes, I shall arise and return to my Father.’
As we come to Mass during these days and in Lent, we want to say to Jesus: ‘Lord to whom shall we go, You have the message of eternal life.’ I believe in You, Jesus. I want to show You that I love You!
Lent is a time of repentance: to turn away from something and to turn towards someone: God! Think about what you want to give up. But giving up something or turning away from something is only a beginning. In fact, what is more important is the life we want to embrace. The prodigal son came to his senses. In fact, it was a Holy Spirit moment in which he was reminded: ‘You have a home; you have a father; You are a beloved son of your father; return to him, he loves you.’ The son is wounded by life, he’s hungry, he’s broken. He says to himself: ‘I will arise and return to my father.’ He’s welcomed home. His father has been waiting. Even though he was gone, he never left his father’s heart. My son is home. Let us have a feast!
This lent, let us feast on the bounty of the love of the Father for us.
I just came across this prayer (below) that we used for homecoming some years ago in our diocese. Could you join me to pray it as we invite someone this lent to the Father’s house? The Father can’t wait to see us; He can’t wait to get the party started. May His embrace heal us of every wound and restore us to the beauty of being His beloved sons and daughters. God love you!
Homecoming Prayer
God of Mercy and Love, you have called us through our baptism to form a community that gathers to share the Word and break the Bread of the Eucharist. We know that some of our brothers and sisters have suffered and no longer feel a part of our community; some have drifted away and are waiting for an invitation. We desire to reach out to all of them, as you have reached out to us, with mercy. We pray for them and we pray for ourselves that we may truly be a nonjudgmental community, open and welcoming to all. We pray as Jesus prayed, ‘that they may be one’. We pray this in Jesus our Brother who has shown us the depth of your love and mercy. Amen
Intercessory Prayer Group
Thursday, following Ash Wednesday, we will start a prayer group called Intercessory Prayer Group. It will be held every Thursday in the foyer of St. Ann’s Church. It’ll begin after Mass (~9:35am) and end at 10am. It’ll be a simple format:
Worship songs will be played and we will intercede for the world, the Church, our families and any situation that needs to be prayed for. It’ll be really a time to reflect on the issues of the world and to present them to the Lord in prayer. Jesus is the great Intercessor who intercedes for us before the Father. So, join us as we join Jesus in this act of love. The first meeting, I’ll give a teaching on Intercessory Prayer, it’s biblical foundation and the great biblical intercessors like Abraham, Moses etc.
When do we begin: Thursday after Ash Wednesday (March 3) at 9:40am.
Your brother, Fr. Obi