Dear Friends,
What an incredible week we just finished! I am sure that those of you who had the opportunity to attend the Lenten Mission with ValLimar Jansen found your faith-life stimulated, challenged and filled with joy. Her powerful singing voice and acting ability brought new life to old scripture stories, and her active and vibrant style of living the Catholic community brought an energetic response from the participants. My thanks to Santa Lucia Society, Cabrini Sodality and St. Vincent de Paul for hosting the receptions each night. Thanks to Jen Cimino and Sylvia Black for the music. Thanks to all who attended and celebrated your faith at the Mission. Thanks as well to the clergy who were present for the Reconciliation Service on Wednesday. It was a wonderful week of celebrating God’s deep and abiding desire for us; I wish everyone could have joined us, but I know our lives are very busy with many commitments. Let me know your thoughts about doing a Mission next year and your suggestions for presenters.
We begin our final week of Lent with our statues covered; entering into a deeper fasting—we now fast from beauty. Next Sunday is Palm/Passion Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. May this final week bring you continued growth in your discipleship and help you grow closer to God.
The scripture stories that ValLimar re-enacted this past week reminded us of the gospel message that we are loved sinners. God’s love for us is unconditional. It is not dependent on how we perform. It is not based on how well we kept our Lenten resolutions or how often we avoid falling into sin. God loves us. God longs for us—as we are, not as we would like to be. Yes, Jesus calls us to repent of our sin. Jesus calls us to be like him. To do that, Jesus needs to heal us, forgive us, change us—make us holy. The first step is recognizing who we are—facing the truth about our weakness and wounds. We must acknowledge that we need a savior, that we cannot do this on our own. The second step is seeing ourselves as God sees us: loved—with a total unconditional love that we do not think we deserve.
It is that encounter with God’s love that has transformed people throughout the centuries and has deeply touched some of the greatest of saints. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “That God is high, transcendent, all-powerful, almighty, I can understand that because I am so small. But that God has become small, and that he thirsts for my love, begs for it—I cannot understand it, I cannot understand it, I cannot understand it.” Where Mother Teresa could not understand it, God’s love and God’s desire for her transformed her and helped her give witness to that love in all that she did. Saints have always seen their world as turned upside down when they come to understand how deeply they are loved by God. Then they can begin to see themselves not as loved for what they do, but simply as loved because of who God is. Once this love is received, welcomed, and embraced, it changes everything.
Mother Teresa in a letter to her sisters once said, “Be careful of all that can block that personal being in touch with the living Jesus. The hurts of life, and sometimes your own mistakes may make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves you, is really clinging to you. This is a danger for all of you. And so sad, because it is completely opposite of what Jesus is really wanting, waiting to tell you. Not only does he love you, even more, He longs for you. He misses you when you do not come close. He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you do not feel worthy. Even if you are not accepted by others, even by yourself sometimes. He is the only one who always accepts you. My children, you do not have to be different for Jesus to love you. Only believe: you are precious to him. Bring all you are suffering to His feet—only to open your heart to be loved by Him as you are. He will do the rest.”
Peace,
Fr. Damian