Dear Friends,

 

The Lenten journey began last week with 80 participants joining Father Joseph Donnelly in a day of reflection here at Mercy by the Sea. He invited them to “meet Jesus” through the encounters Jesus had with the Woman at the Well, the Man Born Blind, and Lazarus. The ritual that ended the day, the receiving of ashes, broadened the sense of who or what is to be noticed and encountered on the journey.

 

“We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7) our bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” (Laudato Si’ Introduction) In being marked with the sign of the cross, we are reminded that we are one with all creation, with the entire universe.

 

As the Lenten weeks unfold and we follow the invitations to encounter Jesus - perhaps like the woman at the well, the man without sight, and Lazarus - our thirst, or the desire to see, or wish to be raised from our deadened places, might include a call to ponder how we encounter all of created life on our planet. Perhaps, even - broadening what it means to meet the Divine this Lent.

 

Sincerely,