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The Gift of Love
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February 4, 2021THE GIFT OF LOVE is the theme of our Lenten Parish Retreat. THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE THAN TO GIVE ONE's LIFE for his friends. This is what Jesus did for all of us when dying on the Cross. Yes, all of us are called to become His friends. He is truly GOD. His LOVE is INFINITE.
The great teacher and theologian St Thomas Aquinas (we celebrated his feast day last week) says it more eloquently:
"Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us? There was a great need, and it can be considered in a twofold way: in the first place, as a remedy for sin, and secondly as an example of how to act. It is a remedy, for in the face of all evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through THE PASSION OF CHRIST. Yet, it is no less an example, for the Passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives. Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the CROSS and desire what He desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue. IF YOU SEEK THE EXAMPLE OF LOVE: GREATER LOVE THAN THIS NO MAN HAS, THAN TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.” SUCH A MAN WAS CHRIST ON THE CROSS and if He gave His life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for His sake.”
As already mentioned to you from the pulpit at Sunday Masses, we would like to invite all of you to join us in a Biblical Walk through Christ's Passion this Lent. We have entitled this Walk with Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane to Mount Calvary: THE GIFT OF LOVE. It is all about Jesus' Amazing Love for us. We will have six sessions at 6:45 pm on Thursdays beginning on the day after Ash Wednesday (February 18). Through six beautiful videos filmed in the Holy Land, Dr. Edward Sri will guide us through the last hours of Jesus’ life. We are confident that we will get closer to Jesus through a deeper understanding of the Mystery of His suffering and death.
We will follow the format of the earlier "GIFT series" (you may recall the first one the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT, and some of its successors such as the GIFT of MARY and the GIFT of the EUCHARIST). We will start with music and prayer before listening to a video. We will then have small group reflections, and general discussion before concluding with prayer and music. Because of the pandemic, we will have a hybrid: some of you may choose to be physically present in the Father Martin Hall (we will keep a safe protocol) while the majority may choose to stay home and join through Zoom.
This will be our Parish Lenten Retreat. It will be a way to walk together spiritually and prepare our entrance into Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter. To facilitate the logistics, you are invited to call the office (301-645-7112), or sign up on our website (www.olhoc.org/lent2021).
Our sufferings on earth may not be comparable to the Agony of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, to the pains of flagellation, the crowning with thorns, the carrying of the Cross, or the dying on the Cross. However, we can learn from Jesus' Passion how to accept God's will including suffering.
Preparation for Lent is a good time to read the Book of Job and to understand how Job was able to endure tribulations as he kept Trust in God. The passage we hear this weekend (Job 7:1-4, 6-7) reminds us of the "drudgery" of man's life on earth, including months of misery, troubled nights, and restlessness. Everything of the world will pass away, but the Words of God will not pass away. God will always be faithful to us.
Our life is a pilgrimage. As we follow Jesus on His Way to Calvary, carrying our own crosses and obeying His commandments, we are filled with HOPE, the HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE: Jesus dying for us on the Cross, conquering death once for all and rising for us so that we too can rise with Him to eternal life! AMEN!
One in Christ,
Fr. Alain
