Encouraging the Culture of Encounter with Jesus Christ, His Church, and All People
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
Lenten Blessings!
I hope Lent is going well so far and I hope people are taking advantage of the opportunity to grow spiritually at our Lenten Mission talks which start this weekend.  Choose either Saturday evening at 5:45 after the Vigil Mass or Sunday mornings at 9:30 in between the Masses.  Some core things to remember this Lent is first God’s mercy which is always available.  Don’t ever be afraid to turn back to Him.  Also we can do nothing, NOTHING!, on our own.  Our good efforts and penance of Lent are only possible because of God’s grace and His inspiring us to grow in His Love.  So let us embrace this truth and cooperate with Him more! 
 
Rite of Election
This Sunday is the Rite of Election at the Cathedral with Bishop Perez.  This is the ceremony where all those who are preparing for baptism come together and the Bishop “elects” them, meaning they are chosen by God and are made part of “the elect” - they are to be washed in the waters of rebirth and welcomed into the family of God at Easter.  At St. Paul’s we have 2 people going through this process, an adult named Tyler Hicks, and a child, ...(Ellen’s great granddaughter). These two have been preparing and looking forward to celebrating the Easter sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Holy Communion.  Keep them and all the elect in your prayers.  May their faith inspire us who received baptism long ago, so that we may continually live up to the call we have received. 
 
Fasting from Instruments
Like last year you will notice that at Mass almost all the singing and chanting is being sung a cappella.  This is because the church gives instructions that during Lent instruments and the organ are not to be used unless necessary to aid in singing.  The exception to this is Laetare Sunday (the 4th of Sunday of Lent).  Similar to how we omit the Gloria and the Alleluia, the Church wants us to notice that something is different.  We are subtracting a few things to help us remember that Lent is about fasting and returning to the Lord alone who brings us joy.  This sets us up even more to celebrate Easter accordingly.  If we do not celebrate Lent well, then Easter loses its punch.  Its impact is lessened.  So even if it seems a little rough going in Lent, that is okay; it is meant to be the desert after all.  But embracing the desert makes the waters of Easter that much sweeter. 
 
Blessings to you in this Lenten season!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Pfr