Our Lady of the Assumption Provides Valuable Opportunities for Spiritual Growth During Lent

We are blessed this year to have many opportunities to draw closer to Christ and increase our spiritual awareness during the season of Lent. By opening our hearts and minds during this important liturgical season, we answer the call to deepen our faith as we journey from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

As Deacon Paul Friedrich points out, we are blessed that God extends us this special invitation to reconnect with our faith life in a meaningful way.

“Lent is an opportunity to look inside ourselves and cleanse ourselves of those things that are keeping us from being the best person we can be in terms of our spirituality,” he says. “We can do this by doing good works — we call it almsgiving, but it can also be service — by praying and inviting the Spirit into our hearts and minds, by practicing Lenten rituals like the Stations of the Cross, and by taking the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.”

In this liturgical season, we are given the precious gift of time to prepare ourselves more fully for the recollection of the Lord’s death and resurrection. One of the ways the Catholic Church helps us along this journey is through the Gospel readings for each Sunday Mass in Lent.

“We use those stories of Christ and the other apostles and their journey toward the resurrection so we are prepared to fully understand the glory of the resurrection of Christ,” Deacon Paul says. “It is very important to take the time to listen to the Gospel readings and discuss them with somebody else. If you take that extra time to understand the readings, it helps develop that sense of closeness.”

In addition to dedicating more time to spiritual reflection and pursuits, Deacon Paul also recommends viewing Lent as an opportunity to step out of our comfort zone and try something new. For example, someone who lives within walking distance to the church might replace driving to Mass with walking, using that quiet time for prayer. And while the pandemic makes it more difficult to serve others in some of the more traditional ways, it also invites us to get creative. Visits to the homebound might be replaced by phone calls or the money saved by eating at home rather than going out may be donated to a charitable cause.

Of course, committing to a personal sacrifice or habit during Lent is even more beneficial when accompanied by strong participation in parish events geared toward promoting spiritual growth.

Every Friday, parishioners and visitors have the opportunity to enter more fully into this special liturgical season by participating in the Stations of the Cross. The Rosary is either livestreamed or on Zoom most Tuesdays during Lent. Also, ample time is available for receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Lenten penance service will be on Tuesday, March 23rd, and confessions are also available every Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

“Lent is the time of Reconciliation,” Deacon Paul says. “To get the full cleansing, the full refreshing, you need to cast away the not-so-good things. We need the help of Christ as the healer to keep us from committing those sins again. We need Reconciliation to keep our thoughts clear. Thoughts lead to words, words lead to actions, and actions lead to character, so we need to keep all of those things clear. That’s why Reconciliation is so important.”

By taking advantage of the opportunity to walk more closely with Christ this Lent, we may all experience the Easter season in a more profound and spiritually fulfilling way. We hope all parishioners will join us on this special faith journey!