My dear People of God,
We find ourselves in the midst of Lent-a special time of prayer, penance, and works of charity. Our thoughts turn especially towards sin, the very reason that led Jesus to His suffering and death on the cross. In Lent we seek to overcome those things in and around us that prevent us from being open to the life that God calls us to live, and for the grace that strengthens us to follow our call to live more like Christ.
The cycle of sin goes on and on in our own personal lives as well as in the world around us. Jesus came to enable us to break out of that cycle, to free us from being dominated by pride, selfishness and greed. This liberation from sin can be difficult, not only for personal reasons but also for societal reasons. Personal sin affects not only our personal relationships but can infect economic, social, legal and governmental structures. For that reason, society can be the means through which evil influences all our lives, if social structures are not based on an understanding of the true nature of man and woman as created by God, nor on the sacredness of life and the dignity of all men and women.
If structures infected by sin within a society are accepted as norm, the conscience of a nation can become desensitized, leading people first to lose sensitivity to a particular evil, then to accept a particular evil as good, then to condemn anyone as condoning evil who would contradict the accepted norm. Evil is accepted as good, and good as evil. Otherwise, how could we destroy life in the womb and call it “pro choice” or “reproductive rights?” How can we take life of the vulnerable elderly among us and call it “death with dignity.”
Sin is an offense against God who loves us so much as to send us His own Divine Son, to bring us forgiveness of our sins. Sin brings suffering into our own lives and into the lives of others, no matter how good our intention may be.
During this Lent we are called to combat the pull towards sinfulness in our personal lives. God also calls us to bring the justice, love and truth of Jesus into the attitudes and the laws of our society, and to combat the evil found in our societal structures. Every Baptized and Confirmed Christian is called to share with Jesus His mission of bringing liberation from sin. On the weekend of April 17th and 18th, we will have Life & Dignity Sunday in all our parishes. You’ll be hearing more about this later. You will be asked to sign up for the “Catholic Legislative Network.” I encourage all who are connected to the internet to sign up. With the information you will receive through the Network, you will become aware of the moral issues in our government, what the Church teaches about those issues, and learn how you can make a difference. If we work together we can make a difference in our society. God bless you all very, very much.