“ I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me…sick and you visited me…Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” -Matthew 25:35-40
The holy season of Lent is upon us. This is the time we think about our future – our future in heaven with our Heavenly Father, His Son, and Spirit. This Lent, is your path to heaven leading you to share in our mission? Will you join us in offering your Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving for us?
Please pray for us. We have a beautiful chapel that you are welcome to stop in and pray. At supper, you could remember us in prayer along with your meal prayer. All of us are busy with our lives, but why not try to find a moment to take a deep breath and say the name of Jesus? Raise your heart and mind to Him.
The discipline of fasting has a much deeper meaning than what meets the eye. Fasting helps us identify with the poor. An in-depth explanation can be found in Isaiah 58. “This is the fasting that I wish … sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked when you see them and not turning your back on your own.” (58:7). As you fast this Lent, try to identify with our Residents. They have given up many of the things that were important to them such as their spouse, their home, a means to provide for themselves, their independence and good health.
This Lent also gives you an opportunity to financially support our elderly Residents through almsgiving. Why not keep a box on the kitchen table or in your car? Each time you pass a Starbuck’s and decide “not today,” put the $5 bill in the box that you would have spent on that Chocolate Chip Frappuccino. When your family decides to do a soup and salad Friday night, put the money that you would have spent on the rest of the meal in the almsgiving box.
A benefactor once asked St. Jeanne Jugan why she burdened herself with all those old people. Jeanne replied, “We share them. You will provide for them while I will care for their needs.” This Lent won’t you share in the ministry of St. Jeanne Jugan and the Little Sisters of the Poor by providing for the elderly, while we take care of their needs?
Lenten Journey of Love