Dear friends of St. Jude,
LENT: A TIME OF SOWING
The traditional view of Lent is a period of
fasting and abstinence, a time of almsgiving
and deepening of our prayer life. It is often
seen as a time of giving up one thing or the
other for a greater good which is primarily for
a deeper spiritual life. It has however been
observed that people only give up their sinful
life styles and bad habits only to pick them
up again after the Lenten season. This has made
a mockery of the entire exercise, so that there
is nothing so special to look forward to during
the Lenten season, rather, it is just like any
other event which comes and goes every year!
The Lenten season of 2008, however will be different,
insofar as we will make this Lenten season a
time of sowing.
To sow a seed means to let go of the grain;
which will fall down and die (Jn 12:24). It also
means to bury the seed in the ground to allow
it receive moisture and nutrients from the soil.
On no account does a farmer uproot the seed from
the soil and expect a rich harvest, he must wait
patiently for the seed to take its own time of
maturity to grow. The growth of the seed into
a tree comes in stages: First, the roots take
a firm hold in the soil, and then it sprouts
and a stem holds out the branches which gives
rise to leaves and flowers.
Imagine our spiritual journey of Lent to a seed
sown on Ash Wednesday, our lives become the seed
which must be buried under the earth, the earth
of immorality and selfishness, to remain in the
soil of prayer and penance, taking roots through
a process of inner conversion of the person and
budding into flowers of new life in Christ (2
Cor 5:17) through a life of grace and charity.
If we sow good seeds we shall reap a harvest
of joy and renewal of Easter, but when we sow
scarcely and take no time to water our seeds
then our harvest will be poor and unrewarding.
Make up your mind therefore that Lent 2008 will
be a fruitful one so as to reap bountifully at
Easter. When we begin to see Lent not simply
a period to avoid and abstain, a period to count
the “Do nots” of Christian vocation
rather than seeing it as a time to highlight,
in a deeper and more profound manner, the “Dos” of
Charity. Lent will then become more of a period
to leave the old ways not for forty (40) days
but forever and for good!
The Lenten season begins very early this year
but this nearness does not remove anything significantly,
rather, it should prepare us with greater eagerness
to meet the Risen Lord Jesus Christ at Easter.
We therefore encourage you
to submit your petitions online to
the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus, so they may
be placed on the altar during these nine days
of novena and special New Year prayer.
May God continue to bless our
path and make our plans succeed in the New Year
2008 through the special intercession of St.
Jude Thaddeus. Amen.
Sincerely in St. Jude,
Rev. Bro. Stephen Lucas, O.P.
SHRINE DIRECTOR
