Dear friends, while we enjoy the cool days of winter, in our Catholic tradition, we enter the season of Lent once again, the time when we are provided with another opportunity to get away from the noisy pace of life most of us experience daily, and prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. Over the month of January, I was able to spend a few days away with family members in a small house in the mountains, without electricity and no phone signal. Every day was beautiful and peaceful as we walked around the hills every morning. And in the evenings, as we enjoyed looking at the amazing colors of the sunset, we would also enjoy each other’s company with a cup of tea and the light of candles and prayer. Then, when everything was dark, there was this incredible spectacle of shiny stars in the sky. When you get a chance to have an experience like this, you are able to rest better and have a stronger sense of the presence of God around you. Now, perhaps not everyone can have an opportunity to go out to the mountains, but Lent can be like a mountain you can climb in your own house by intentionally making time for reflective silence and prayer.
This Lent, I encourage you to spend some moments of silence, away from noisy places and especially away from your phone; and if possible, go out to contemplate nature and take a good look at the stars in the sky. I think these moments are necessary for all of us to refocus and clear our minds of every toxic and vain glory we might have acquired throughout the year. It would be easier to reflect and connect with God in prayer when you are in a silent mode. Let’s take some intentional time in silence to make room for God. During those peaceful days, as I walked up and down the hills, I would pay more attention to the variety of trees and plants, birds and other animals, and I would reflect on how nature evolves in silence, as if saying “this is our way to glorify our Creator, and we are grateful to be here.” It is really refreshing to sense the presence of God in the silence of nature!
Often, I have heard people say that ‘until we believe that prayer is worth our time, we won’t make time for prayer.’ Likewise, we won’t be able to pray well if we don’t quiet ourselves. The biblical book of Lamentations 3:21-26 reminds us: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is rewarding to wait in silence for the Lord’s saving help.” Many saints had especial encounters with God through their prayerful moments in silence.
This time around, we are also celebrating a Jubilee Year in our Catholic Church around the world, and this presents us with another opportunity to contemplate, refocus and reconnect with God in prayer. The theme of this Jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope,” and we have assigned several parishes in every Vicariate of our Diocese as official sites for pilgrimages; there should be one near you. Find out and pay a visit to one of those sites this Lent, going to confession if necessary, participating of the Eucharistic celebration, receiving Communion, praying and adoring the Lord in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, praying for the intentions of the Pope, and allowing yourselves to have a special encounter with the Lord as you receive plenary indulgence. Finally, let’s keep on praying for one another, that we all experience new life in God as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus at Easter.