Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
More than ever before in recent memory, Lent meets us in a wounded world. The war in Ukraine continues to rage, the Middle East remains unsettled, innocent lives are being slaughtered in Nigeria, and the potential for conflict with Iran looms, to mention just a few areas around the globe that are steeped in pain and suffering.
In our own country, the immigration crisis continues to expose deep wounds within our society. While recognizing the duty of the government to protect the common good and maintain its borders, we must never forget that migrants and refugees are not strangers – but brothers and sisters, many of whom flee violence, poverty and persecution. Recent tragic incidents have reminded us how fragile human life is and how urgently we need solutions that safeguard communities while also honoring the God-given dignity of those seeking safety and hope.
Our Lenten experience begins in the midst of this sobering context.
In the liturgy of Ash Wednesday every year, we listen to the words of the prophet Joel, who sets the stage for our response to the Lord’s call to discipleship. He does so by challenging us to change our lives – not merely by performing religious gestures and practices – but by peering intensely into our hearts to ensure that our spirits are honest, pure and open to the transforming power and presence of God.
Saint Matthew, in that same liturgy, reinforces the words of the prophet as he calls us to pray, fast, and to give alms in support of the poor – not because such behavior will make us righteous – but because such acts for the true follower of Jesus are simply the consequence of faithful lives rooted in Jesus, who teaches us how best to live.
Yet, brothers and sisters, during these sacred days, it is not enough for us to simply focus on our own spiritual and moral well-being and growth to the exclusion of assuming any responsibility to care for our suffering world.
Lent does not allow us to look away!
It challenges us, in whatever situation and circumstance God has placed us, to move beyond indifference, to pray with honest hearts and to serve one another in ways that restore human dignity.
It beckons us to be people of healing, to listen before judging, to welcome before excluding, and to choose love when it’s easier to walk away.
While not one of us, on our own, can change the sad realities of the world in which we find ourselves, each one of us, through Baptism, can and must assume our place in building God’s kingdom of peace.
Lent then becomes a season of grace for personal conversion and a blessed opportunity to speak to our struggling world God’s words of love and peace.
In this same spirit of hope and promise, we will welcome catechumens into the ranks of the elect on the First Sunday of Lent. Their numbers in our own Diocese and throughout our country have increased significantly in recent years, serving as a powerful reminder of the presence of God moving among us and continually calling his people to life and salvation. When you meet them in your parishes, welcome them and let them know how proud you are of their willingness to say “yes” to Jesus’ call to discipleship.
As part of our Diocesan Lenten experience, for the fourth year, I will once again celebrate a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament in each of our twelve deaneries throughout the weeks of Lent. I look forward to praying with many of you as we together we reflect upon how best to find God’s peace in these challenging times.
Finally, I encourage all of us to avail ourselves of the Lord’s mercy and healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
In a message to the entire Church, Pope Leo XIV offered this perspective on our Lenten journey, “Let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us … Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love.”
Please know of my prayers for a fruitful observance of Lent.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton