Archbishop Barry HIckey’s Lenten Pastoral Letter for 2011
With Ash Wednesday, we began the Season of Lent. We have entered a period of 40 days of prayer and penance in order to prepare ourselves well for the celebration of Easter.
Let us make the most of this time to reflect deeply on our lives as Catholics, especially on how faithfully we have been following Jesus as His disciples.
Lent is also a period of intense and final preparation for catechumens and those coming into full communion with the Church on the Easter Vigil.
Please remember them in your prayers. May they experience the joy of meeting Christ through Baptism and Holy Communion, and may they be lovingly welcomed by the people of the Church.
As our society becomes more secular and moves away from religious values, all the more necessary is it for us to remember that Jesus has called us to a way of life that may be in stark contrast to the accepted ways of others.
The ideas of a Christian life are demanding but necessary if we are to live happily, with a clear conscience, and reach the goal of eternal life with God.
There is perhaps no greater example of this than in the matter of human relationships and marriage.
The Word of God clearly calls us to live chastely until marriage.
So many young people today do not accept this, or live by it.
Chastity is set aside in favour of living together, not just before marriage but often instead of marriage, to the detriment of lifelong fidelity, marriage stability and the security to which children have a natural right.
Reflect on your own lives for chastity and love. Always give good example to others by your fidelity to the ways of the Gospel in your deep relationships with others. This is Good News that the world needs from us.
The Church calls us to prayer and penance at this time. Jesus asked us to fast, to pray and to be generous, not to win the praise of others but to purify our hearts and open them up to His grace and love. Take time to read again the Gospel for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6, 1-6 and 16-18. It sets out our penitential path for Lent, a path that leads to inner peace and harmony. The ashes on our foreheads help us remember our mortality and remind us of the journey we began at our Baptism.
Most Rev B J Hickey
Archbishop of Perth