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                   A Lenten Message

      from the Sisters of Charity of New York

Each Lent is a retreat, an invitation, a journey. In this Lent of 2008, what is the context for our journey deeper into God and into communion with each other? A world of great suffering, yes, but also a universe flowing with God’s abounding grace….

In a world of so many divisions, each of us needs to learn the skills and attitudes to be peace-builders, to be Charity at a deeper level than ever before.

During Lent the catechumens live in expectation of God’s action to transform them. With increasing desire, they anticipate being called by name into the communion of the Church. Along with the catechumens we are called into deeper communion with God and with each other. In the process we have begun there is plenty of material for Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We contemplatively notice God’s invitations, each other’s needs, and our own responses. We fast from defensive reactions, from anxiety, and the violence of unkind or manipulative words. We offer the alms of our compassion
and our time. These can be our spiritual disciplines for today.

The journey that starts with anticipation will also include the reality of our own resistance, weakness, and sinfulness. We will be tempted to anxiety or to disengagement from life’s questions and struggles or to remain in silence with our own hurts. But these are also the moments for “meeting our grace,” moments for experiencing the love of our God and the invitation to fuller life in the Risen Christ.

                                                  Sr. Dorothy Metz and Council / Lent 2008