Greetings fellow Triple V Members!
We are at the doorstep of the Lenten Season, a season of prayer, fasting and charity.
Normally, people are more subdued or less excited during this season as it requests from us to sacrifice something or fast or abstain from favorite things to eat or drink or do or indulge.
I would like to challenge you to make this Lenten Season not so much as subdued but be more alive, more active, more vigorous!
In Matthew's Gospel we hear this line:
Teaching about Fasting.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
So, when we do our acts of prayer, fasting and charity, always do it with a smile upon your face and give glory to God for granting you the strength, courage and discipline to do what you are enduring in the name of our love for Christ! Let us always give thanks to the Lord for all the graces he bestowed upon us. Give thanks for giving us enough resources to give back to the poor. Give thanks for giving us time to say our prayers and be in his grace and light. Give thanks for giving us the physical strength and ability to perform fasting and to commit to abstain from pleasure food items or objects or past times that we are trying to give up. Rejoice and do it with a smile and thank your guardian angel for praying with you to overcome sin and temptation.
This Season of Lent, I would like to challenge each of you to do the following:
a) invest more time in prayer - add another 10-15 minutes to your daily prayer time and pray for your fellow Triple V friends and for your family/personal friends.
b) do more charitable works - there are so many ways that we can share our time and talent with others this season. For example, if you are an accountant and you would like to offer your services to help people file their taxes properly, that would be wonderful! Or if you are a school teacher, you see one of your students is in dire need to attention, you give up an extra 10 - 15 minutes to sit down with the student to make sure that they understand the work. If you have time (or take a vacation day/personal day) to assist in volunteering at JOIN or with St. Lawrence Haven or at the Holy Family Soup Kitchen, do it!
c) do an act of charity without prior planning - if you see a hungry person, go feed them. If you see an elderly person in need of help to cross the street, take the opportunity to walk with them and see that they are safe. If you are in a bus, give up your seat for another person.
d) do good towards others - continue to do good deed towards others - give a smile, share your umbrella when it's raining, avoid having road rage, give way to others on the road, share a good story to those in need of hope.
All these reflect God's love to others. These subtle or random acts of kindness are what can bring people closer to God! We are all instruments of bringing people closer to God. It is not the sole duty of an ordained person or of a person who is religious, but of every human being who is a member of God's chosen people.
I pray that all of you will have a blessed and wonderful Lenten journey. Again, always do God's will and share God's love with others with a smile and with kind words!
In Christ Jesus,
J.P.
We are at the doorstep of the Lenten Season, a season of prayer, fasting and charity.
Normally, people are more subdued or less excited during this season as it requests from us to sacrifice something or fast or abstain from favorite things to eat or drink or do or indulge.
I would like to challenge you to make this Lenten Season not so much as subdued but be more alive, more active, more vigorous!
In Matthew's Gospel we hear this line:
Teaching about Fasting.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
So, when we do our acts of prayer, fasting and charity, always do it with a smile upon your face and give glory to God for granting you the strength, courage and discipline to do what you are enduring in the name of our love for Christ! Let us always give thanks to the Lord for all the graces he bestowed upon us. Give thanks for giving us enough resources to give back to the poor. Give thanks for giving us time to say our prayers and be in his grace and light. Give thanks for giving us the physical strength and ability to perform fasting and to commit to abstain from pleasure food items or objects or past times that we are trying to give up. Rejoice and do it with a smile and thank your guardian angel for praying with you to overcome sin and temptation.
This Season of Lent, I would like to challenge each of you to do the following:
a) invest more time in prayer - add another 10-15 minutes to your daily prayer time and pray for your fellow Triple V friends and for your family/personal friends.
b) do more charitable works - there are so many ways that we can share our time and talent with others this season. For example, if you are an accountant and you would like to offer your services to help people file their taxes properly, that would be wonderful! Or if you are a school teacher, you see one of your students is in dire need to attention, you give up an extra 10 - 15 minutes to sit down with the student to make sure that they understand the work. If you have time (or take a vacation day/personal day) to assist in volunteering at JOIN or with St. Lawrence Haven or at the Holy Family Soup Kitchen, do it!
c) do an act of charity without prior planning - if you see a hungry person, go feed them. If you see an elderly person in need of help to cross the street, take the opportunity to walk with them and see that they are safe. If you are in a bus, give up your seat for another person.
d) do good towards others - continue to do good deed towards others - give a smile, share your umbrella when it's raining, avoid having road rage, give way to others on the road, share a good story to those in need of hope.
All these reflect God's love to others. These subtle or random acts of kindness are what can bring people closer to God! We are all instruments of bringing people closer to God. It is not the sole duty of an ordained person or of a person who is religious, but of every human being who is a member of God's chosen people.
I pray that all of you will have a blessed and wonderful Lenten journey. Again, always do God's will and share God's love with others with a smile and with kind words!
In Christ Jesus,
J.P.