Happy Lent!

On this Ash Wednesday, the Confraternity of Penitents wishes you Happy Lent!

We share with you a few thoughts expressed today by Father David Engo of the Franciscan Friars Minor, good thoughts to keep in mind during this joyful (yes, joyful) season of Lent.

Why should penance be joyful? Because, while we do penance to make reparation for our sins and those of others, we also do it to show that ourselves that God has first place in our lives. Penance needs to be done in love. It isn’t enough to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must love God more than we love ourselves. Penance shows that we love God more than we love anything else. And why do we love God? Because God loved us so much that He created us and then died for us when we turned from Him. One immortal soul is worth more to God than all the things of this world. And that includes YOUR soul, too, dear reader.

In Lent, we focus on avoiding sin and attachments to the things of this world. But we also need to focus on love-- love of God, love of neighbor, love of myself for God made me and God does not make junk. Our penances need to be rooted in love or else they will be rooted in pride. Jesus told us to keep our penances private so that we can’t become proud of them.

Even Satan can do penance, St. Francis said, but Satan cannot love.

May all your penances, whatever they may be, be rooted in love this Lent.

Happy Lent!

Learn about the symbols of Lent and their meanings by daily checking the home page of the Confraternity of Penitents at www.penitents.org in the bottom right hand corner under “Daily Thought.” May these reflections bless you!