Let’s say you were at your own birthday party. All the guests were gathered and the traditional song, Happy Birthday to You, was started, but only a few people bothered to sing! How would you feel? Besides being disappointed, you’d wonder whether they really wanted to be there. The guests who did sing along would feel a bit awkward as the celebratory spirit of that song had some of the “air” taken out of it. I’ve noticed that the same thing happens at Mass here at Holy Family.

I’ve become more aware of people who are experiencing loss in one form or another. It might be the loss of a loved one through death, the loss of a spouse through divorce, the loss of innocence, the loss of a job and one’s livelihood, the loss of the ability to function normally because of disability or old age, the loss of one’s honor and standing in the community, the loss of a friend because of the parting of ways, or the loss of the “safe and familiar” having been uprooted. Maybe you can add to this list from your own experience.

Do you need to be renewed in spirit? In what way? What steps do you need to take to accomplish that goal? Built in to our liturgical year is a time set aside to refocus on what will enable us to become all that God has made us to be and, in turn, be renewed in spirit. That special time is the season of Lent, which begins this Wednesday, February 14.

Not long ago, I came across this quote from St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It highlights the gift each of us can be to each other. We may not think much about the difference we make in the lives of others. However, this beautiful and timely quote invites us to realize what God wants to do in us and through us – if we nurture the peace that comes from a close and personal relationship with God.