Return to me with all your hearts; I am your God, and you are mine.

     Lent is a time of discernment and prayer. It is a time to discover where we are, where we are going, and what we need to do to make our journey in the right direction and place. It is a time to be intimate with God and direct our lives toward heaven. Yes, through personal prayer and reflection, we are called to know and realize where our lives are at. We need to ask ourselves as believers and followers of Jesus: “Am I choosing Christ in my life situations or am I limiting my faith into going to church and saying a few prayers, and not letting Christ affect my life or transform me? Am I satisfied with the cheap grace of just being a nominal Christian?”

     Lent is a time to allow the spirit of the Lord to drive us into the wilderness of our lives, where we have not made Christ a part but rather an outsider of our life’s realities. Through this Lent, we are invited to be transformed into true believers. That is, to allow the gospel and Jesus to affect our lives and be converted into holiness. May we tread the Stations of the Cross and encounter Christ carrying us on His shoulders, the cross of our sinfulness and lukewarmness. May we encounter His gaze piercing through our hearts and reawakening our souls. Thus, may we make our choices of Christ to forgive, serve, and be holy. We can return to God with all our hearts and know we belong to God. We allow His voice to affect our lives for the better and make the changes in our lives to come out of a pretentious, hypocritical way to a sincere and authentic fervent faith - to live in the spirit of the Lord.

     May Jesus be our Guide and Savior in this season of Lent, to make a difference in our faith lives this Lent than all other Lents that have passed - to change and be holy. May the Holy Spirit empower and enlighten us.

           May Our Lady of Good Counsel intercede for us.

Yours in Christ,
Father Santhosh Thottankara, SS.CC., Pastor