Blessed Sacrament Parish – March 1, 2020

We, Blessed Sacrament Parish, Are a Christ-Centered Community,

Committed to Worship the Father, Committed to Respond to the Spirit’s Gifts,

Committed to Loving Service to All God’s People

Nosotros, la Parroquia del Santísimo Sacramento, Somos una Comunidad Centrada en Cristo,

Comprometidos a Adorar al Padre, Comprometidos a Responder a los Dones del Espíritu Santo,

Comprometidos en el Servicio Amoroso a Todo el Pueblo de Dios

Mass Schedule

Day Date Time Intention

Saturday Feb. 29 11:00am + Funeral Mass for Gary Sutton

5:30pm + Cheep & Phyllis Safreed by Joe & Joan Fernandes

Sunday Mar. 1 9:00am Intentions of Our Parish Family

11:30am + Patty Farry by John & Arlene Hanna

Wednesday Mar. 4 Noon In Thanksgiving for My New Nephew, Elliott by John Milton

Thursday Mar. 5 Noon Jody DeBias by Sandy Williams

Friday Mar. 6 Noon + Kathryn Combs by Mary Ann Johnson

Saturday Mar. 7 5:30pm + Tony Halleman by John & Arlene Hanna

Sunday Mar. 8 9:00am Intentions of Our Parish Family

11:30am + Shawn Bogges by Betty Denny

We Remember in Our Prayers Amber Lynch Bell, Patrick Burriss, Susan Churchill, Elizabeth Coleman, Matthew Crabtree, Rhonda Crede, Judy Dumont,

Karol Dunford, Joe Eisel, Janine Estep, Marietta Fenton, Rose Finch, Patty Geissinger, Joe Gregg, Kathleen Groom,

Michael Habenschuss (son of Mike & Pat) , John Hanna, Ann Henderson, John & Claire Johnson, Mary Katherine Lingsch,

Bob Lucas, Louann Lynch-Kelley, Alec Mansfield, Jim & Joyce Mathena’s nephew, Mary Ann Shear, Sandy Wheeler, Lily

Woolwine, and Marge Young

Congratulations

Jim & Natalie Zellers celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on February 25th.

There are now CD copies of Reconciliation in Song available on a table in the gathering space.

Donation Statements - To request your donation statement, please contact Natalie by calling 304-744-5523 or via

email: blessedsac@suddenlinkmail.com.

This Week at Blessed Sacrament Parish

Day Date Time Event Location

Sat 2/29 9:00am Men’s Bible Study Room 5

11:00am Funeral Mass for Gary Sutton

Visitation begins at 10:00am Sanctuary

4:15 – 5:15pm The New Testament (Guide: Rick Brennan) Conference Room

4:30 – 5:00pm Confessions Reconciliation Room

5:30pm Mass Sanctuary

Sun 3/1 Child Care is available during Sunday morning Masses Nursery

9:00am Mass + Pre-School Faith Formation Sanctuary

10:15 – 11:15am The New Testament (Guide: Rick Brennan) Conference Room

11:30am Mass will include RCIA – Rite of Sending Sanctuary

1:00pm Whole Parish Faith Formation – Sacraments of

Healing: Reconciliation & Anointing of the Sick

Parish Hall

Mon 3/2 6:00pm Bells Rehearsal Sanctuary

6:00pm Energy Efficiency Committee Room 2

7:00pm Choir Rehearsal Sanctuary

7:00pm RCIA: (Guide: Fr. John Finnell)

Sacraments of Vocation: Marriage & Holy Orders Room 5

Tues 3/3 Noon Brown Bag Book Club Room 5

6:30pm The Relentless Love of Jesus – A 5-Week Study Conference Room

7:00pm Confirmation Sponsors Meeting Parish Hall

Wed 3/4

9:30am

Bible Study: Old Testament Stories

(Guide: Jeanne Haas) Room 5

Noon Mass Chapel

1:00pm Bible Study: Job (Guide: John Finnell) Conference Room

6:00 – 6:30pm Simple Meal of Soup & Bread Parish Hall

6:30 – 7:00pm Laudato Si: Videos and Discussion Parish Hall

7:00pm Bible Study: Next Sunday’s Readings

(Guide: John Finnell) Conference Room

Thur 3/5 Noon Mass Chapel

Fri 3/6 Noon Mass Chapel

5:30 – 6:00pm Stations of the Cross Chapel

6:00pm - Midnight Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel

Sat 3/7 9:00am Men’s Bible Study (Guide: John Finnell) Room 5

Noon Rite of Election Sacred Heart

4:30 – 5:00pm Confessions Reconciliation Room

4:15 – 5:15pm Laudato Si – videos and discussion Conference Room

The New Testament Study will re-start after Lent

5:30pm Mass Sanctuary

Sun 3/8 Child Care is available during Sunday morning Masses Nursery

9:00am Mass + Pre-School Faith Formation Sanctuary

10:15 – 11:15am Laudato Si – videos and discussion Conference Room

The New Testament Study will re-start after Lent

Spanish Class for beginners + Upstairs classroom

11:30am Mass Sanctuary

This Weekend at Blessed Sacrament

Funeral Mass for Gary Sutton

Saturday, February 29th at 11:00am, with visitation beginning at 10:00am.

Coming Events at Blessed Sacrament

First Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

March 6th 6:00pm – midnight in our Chapel

Drop in for silent prayer at any time or sign up for a 30 minute period in our Gathering Space

Camp Leon Applications Applications to attend Camp Leon (June 14 – 20) as a camper are available in our gathering space. Camper applications

must be returned to our office by Friday, March 6th.

The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus - A Five-Week Lenten Study

Tuesdays, March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Blessed Sacrament Parish – Conference Room

About the Book

In The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, Brennan Manning brings you to a deeper understanding of the true nature of God.

Through poignant and unforgettable stories challenging observations, Manning helps you stretch your mind and reject

simplistic explanations of who God really is. With rich insights you’ll see how God can at once be a roaring lion, pacing the

globe and seeking you out, and a tender lamb, there to comfort you in time of need. A unique experience, this book will

forever change the way you think about God (taken from back book cover).

Books will be provided by Blessed Sacrament Parish. (Each book is $16. Donations are welcome to offset the cost.)

To Register: Please do this soon. We need to know how many books to order. Contact Terry Mathias by phone at 304-

741-0045 or by e-mail at tsmathias@earthlink.net to register or to ask any questions.

Next week, we will have a special second collection to support the Priests Health and Retirement Association (PHRA),

a fund that provides health insurance and retirement benefits to retired priests of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

Please take a moment to reflect on the many years of service by our priests and how we can take this opportunity to thank

them in a very particular way with a gift to the PHRA collection.

Whole Parish Faith Formation

Sunday, March 1 – 1:00pm in the Parish Hall

Topics: Sacraments of Healing—Reconciliation

and Anointing of the Sick

Lunch will be served immediately following the

11:30 Mass.

All Ages are encouraged to attend!

Blessed Sacrament Parish 2020 Lenten Theme

Conversion to Care

Wednesday Evenings in Lent

Everyone is Welcome! Non-Parishioners Too!

March 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 1

6:00—6:30PM

A shared meal of meatless soup, bread and water

Everyone is invited to bring bread!

Parish Hall

6:30—7:00PM

Video & Discussion of Pope Francis’ Encyclical:

Laudato Si—Care for Our Common Home

Parish Hall

7:00—8:30PM

Bible Study on the Upcoming Sunday Readings

with Father John

Conference Room

Video & Discussion of Pope Francis’ Encyclical:

Laudato Si—Care for Our Common Home

Saturdays 4:15pm—5:15pm

Sundays 10:15am—11:15am

Conversion to Care Take Home Tree

Every household is invited to take home a Poster Tree Kit.

During Lent, add leaves with each action taken to . . .

Care for Our Common Home.

Stations of the Cross

Every Friday 5:30PM in chapel

Our Blessed Sacrament Chapel is opened daily 9:00AM—9:00PM

for private devotion and prayer.

NEW SPANISH CLASS especially for beginners but all levels of proficiency are welcome

SUNDAYS BEGINNING MARCH 8

10:15am to 11:15am upstairs classroom

INSTRUCTOR: EMMANUEL CHAVARRÍA

Our Partners in Community Service

Catholic Charities, WV – Western Region

CCWV has placed a small bin in our gathering area for an ongoing collection for personal care/housecleaning supplies

(which cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits) to aid families on very tight budgets. When you buy your own

cleaning/personal care supplies, consider buying extras to help those in need in a very real way.

Metro Valley Gabriel Project – Formula February

We are collecting donations of baby formula and baby food to help babies in low-income families have a healthy, safe

start in life. Please donate cans of powdered formula or ready-to-feed bottles. Similac Sensitive, any other Similac

formulas, Enfamil Nutramigen and Enfamil NeuroPro are all needed. All brands of baby food and baby cereal are also

needed.

We will have a collection bin in our gathering area beginning Feb. 8th. Formula and baby food collected during our drive

will go directly to familiues in our own community. Please consider donating.

Growing through Grief

The West Virginia Institute for Spirituality is offering this program Saturday, March 14th from 8:15am – 3:30pm

Registration Deadline: March 7th

Sr. Carole A. Riley, Ph.D. will highlight significant tenets of grief work. CEU’s for: Social Workers, Registered Nurses,

Licensed Professional Counselors. To register for this program call (304) 345-0926 or e-mail wvisreg@gmail.com Offering

for program is $50.00 (Lunch and certificate included). Scholarships are available, please contact Fr. John if you need help

paying any fees.

Other Items of Interest

DO YOU THINK GOD MAY BE CALLING YOU TO BE PERMANENT DEACON?

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE YOU THINK WOULD BE A GOOD PERMANENT DEACON?

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston will offer a presentation for Catholic men (age 31 and older) who are discerning

about a vocation to the Permanent Diaconate on Monday, March 2nd, at 7:00pm at John XXIII Pastoral Center, 100

Hodges Road, Charleston. The hour-long presentation will explain the basics of the diaconate and formation process.

Applications will be available. All potential deacon candidates and their wives are welcome to attend. Please call to

reserve a seat: 304-342-0507.

St. Anthony’s Traditional “Fish Frydays” 1027 6th St., Charleston – from 5:30 – 7:30pm each Friday in Lent.

The Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center has changed the start date for the “Shattered Faith” Religious Trauma Group Session in Charleston. The group will now meet from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on March 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14, 21, 28 and May 5. The cost is $120 for all the meetings. Eugenie Taylor and Randy Richardson will lead the group. Participants are required to complete an introductory meeting with Eugenie Taylor before registering. To set up a meeting, call Taylor at 304-807-9613 or email her at eugenie@kpcc.com. Once the introductory meeting has taken place, Taylor will provide further registration instructions.

Lay Ministers – February 29 & March 1

5:30pm 9:00am 11:30am

Lectors

John Priestley Denise Burgess Heidi Adams

Cantors

Joe Deegan Renae Haas John Shawler

Choir Choir & Bell Mass

Communion:

Principals

Chalice

To Sick/Shut-Ins

Kay Margocee

Carolyn Frye

Sr. Molly Maloney

Matt Higgs

Jane Roy

Christine Fernandes

Bob Sherrard

Bridget Smith

Aidan Paul

Barbara Williams

Bob Sherrard

Reagan Whitmyer

David Elliott

Jackie Lilly

Sally Cline

Betty Denny

Donna Paris

Alex Huy

Altar Servers

Matthew Benincosa

Julia Legg

Will Stella

Henry Davis

Ulises Toledo

Jeanne Jarrett

Greeters/Ushers

McNeil Family

Hayes Family

Young Family

Nursery

Emma Leary Amy Gannon

Coffee Set-Up and Cookies: Jennifer DePond

Manna Meal Workers:

Please be at St. John’s by 11:15am Mar. 4 – Mike & Donna Jarrell

Mar. 11 – TBA and Missy Summey

Grocery Pick Up for Manna Meal:

Mar. 4 – Rory Isaac

On the weekend of 2/29 and 3/1, the Counsil Family will take home the Traveling Prayer Chalice.

Let us give thanks to God for inspiring and enabling good stewards: - who donated supplies, helped and delivered the results for Service Project Sunday!

- who put on another great Lunch Bunch with chicken pot pies!

- who put a scrumptious and generous Pancake Breakfast!

- who assist with ministries during our funeral visitation periods, Masses and luncheons!

- who have donated furniture, furnishings and consumable supplies to help a young mother prepare for her new baby!

- who work magic with aluminum foil and duct tape!

- who provided a list of conservation ideas to encourage our "Conversion to Care" in practical ways!

Lay Ministers – March 7 & 8

5:30pm 9:00am 11:30am

Lectors

Joe Deegan Don Becher Tom Basile

Cantors

Rory Isaac Matt Leary Rob Hrezo

Choir

Communion:

Principals

Chalice

To Sick/Shut-Ins

John McGarrity

Karen Lewia

Margaret McGarrity

Tony Ciliberti

Bill Frame

Need a Sub

Jackie Lilly

Sharon Cibrik

Matt Hayes

Bernie Mabe

Laura Hayes

Missy Summey

Jackie Lilly

Linda Matheny

Tiffany Wilson

Alison Corbin

Sr. Fran Kirtley

Pat Garnett

Altar Servers

Rick Brennan

Jeanne Jarrett

Chris/Alexandria B.

Elizabeth Blanchard

Brunetta Dillard

Henry Gannon

Greeters/Ushers

McLaughlin Family

Barbara Williams

Joe Gresham

JR Graley

Rene Norman

Shelley Nason

Brian Cornell

Nursery

Amy Walker Heidi Adams

Coffee Set-Up and Cookies: Mary Beth Abbot

Manna Meal Workers: Mar. 4 – Mike & Donna Jarrell

Please be at St. John’s by 11:15am Mar. 11 – TBA and Missy Summey

Mar. 18 – Tom Kirk and Bryan Boyd

Grocery Pick Up for Manna Meal: Mar. 4 – Rory Isaac

Mar. 11 – John Ellison

On the weekend of March 7 and 8, a volunteer will take home the Traveling Prayer Chalice.

Mass Readings

March 1, 2020 - First Sunday of Lent

Reading 1 Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7

The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he had formed.

Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the

middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really

tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the

garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”

But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be

opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to

the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was

with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves

together and made loincloths for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm Psalms 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.

Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.

For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: “Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.”

A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Reading 2 Romans 5:12-19 OR 5:12, 17-19

Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all

sinned. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the

abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one

transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the

disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.

Gospel Matthew 4:1-11

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and

afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become

loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth

of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God,

throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you

dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,

and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away,

Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels

came and ministered to him.

Mass Readings

March 8, 2020 - Second Sunday of Lent

Reading 1 Genesis 12:1-4A

The LORD said to Abram:

“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you;

I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.

All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.”

Abram went as the LORD directed him.

Responsorial Psalm Psalms 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22.

R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Upright is the word of the LORD, and all his works are trustworthy.

He loves justice and right; of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness,

To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.

R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield.

May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you.

R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.

Reading 2 2 Timothy 1:8B-10

Beloved:

Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace

bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ

Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Gospel Matthew 17:1-9

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here.

If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said,

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”

And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone.

As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them,

“Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Parish / Staff Contacts & Other Information Our office hours are from 9am – 3pm, Monday – Friday.

Address: 305 E Street, South Charleston, WV 25303

Telephone (Parish Office): 304.744.5523 E-mail: blessedsac@suddenlinkmail.com

Web page: www.blessedsacramentwv.org

Our Parish Staff

Pastor Rev. John H. Finnell Cell: 1.304.377.3560

E-mail: snowman25303@hotmail.com

Deacon Rev. Mr. John Hanna Home: 304.935.4646 Cell: 304.389.7255

E-mail: deaconjohnh@suddenlink.net

Pastoral Associate Jeanne Haas E-mail: haasjeanne@hotmail.com

Office Manager Natalie Zellers Office E-mail: blessedsac@suddenlinkmail.com

Music & Youth Director Mark Haas E-mail: MarkHaasCatholic@gmail.com

Our Pastoral Council

Joe Gresham, facilitator Rick Brennan Tiffany Wilson Tim Norris

Reagan Whitmyer John F. Gianola Ken Holz Jack and Ann Dever

Joe Jenkins Laura Jennings Matt Hayes Philip Maramba

Minutes from the Parish Pastoral Council can be found on our webpage.

St. Paul Radio - West Virginia......Presents Catholic radio on:

WLUX 1450 AM Dunbar; WNUX 89.7 FM Beckley; WOUX 105.3 Parkersburg

Visit www.sprwv.org for a link to stream Catholic radio to a smart phone

To report an incidence of suspected child sexual abuse, please contact your local law enforcement agency, or you may

confidentially contact WV Child Protective Services at 800.352.6513. To report suspected cases of sexual abuse by

personnel of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to the Diocese, please contact one of the Bishop’s designees at

888.434.6237 or 304.233.0880: Sister Ellen Dunn, ext. 264; Mr. Bryan Minor, ext. 263; Mr. Tim Bishop, ext. 353; Fr. Dennis

Schuelkens, ext. 270 or call the Office of Safe Environment at 304.230.1504

Pastor's Pages

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Current Articles of Interest

Bishop Brennan's Letter about Lent https://dwc.org/ Los Angeles Religious Education Congress Opening Ceremony & Welcome hosted by Archbishop José Gomez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5zM1XX7wyw&feature=youtu.be&t=2752 This is a long and wonderful video but I especially recommend one segment. An attorney describes her conversion experience as she encountered and eventually worked full time with unaccompanied immigrant children. It begins at 19:35 and goes to 26:45. JHF No, Jean Vanier is not 'like all of us' https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/grace-margins/no-jean-vanier-not-all-us Pope at Audience: ‘disconnect from TV, smart phones and connect to the Gospel in Lent’ https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-02/pope-general-audience-ash-wednesday-catechesis-lent.html Boston archdiocese makes temporary Mass changes amid coronavirus concerns https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/28/metro/boston-archdiocese-makes-temporary-mass-changes-amid-coronavirus-concerns/?camp=bg%3Abrief%3Arss%3Afeedly&rss_id=feedly_rss_brief&s_campaign=bostonglobe%3Asocialflow%3Atwitter Catholics still don't get it: sexual abuse is not about sex https://international.la-croix.com/news/catholics-still-dont-get-it-sexual-abuse-is-not-about-sex/11899# Bullied 9-year-old Quaden Bayles paid a price for outpouring of support https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/22/opinions/quaden-bayles-parenting-children-privacy-perry/index.html Nonverbal Autistic Boy Denied Communion by Priest Due to His Disability https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/nonverbal-autistic-boy-denied-communion-214423760.html

Pope Francis: Ash Wednesday Homily We begin the Lenten Season by receiving ashes: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return (cf. Gen 3:19). The dust sprinkled on our heads brings us back to earth; it reminds us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. We are weak, frail and mortal. Centuries and millennia pass and we come and go; before the immensity of galaxies and space, we are nothing. We are dust in the universe. Yet we are dust loved by God. It pleased the Lord to gather that dust in his hands and to breathe into it the breath of life (cf. Gen 2:7). We are thus a dust that is precious, destined for eternal life. We are the dust of the earth, upon which God has poured out his heaven, the dust that contains his dreams. We are God’s hope, his treasure and his glory. Ashes are thus a reminder of the direction of our existence: a passage from dust to life. We are dust, earth, clay, but if we allow ourselves to be shaped by the hands of God, we become something wondrous. More often than not, though, especially at times of difficulty and loneliness, we only see our dust! But the Lord encourages us: in his eyes, our littleness is of infinite value. So let us take heart: we were born to be loved; we were born to be children of God. Dear brothers and sisters, may we keep this in mind as we begin this Lenten season. For Lent is not a time for useless sermons, but for recognizing that our lowly ashes are loved by God. It is a time of grace, a time for letting God gaze upon us with love and in this way change our lives. We were put in this world to go from ashes to life. So let us not turn our hopes and God’s dream for us into powder and ashes. Let us not grow resigned. You may ask: “How can I trust? The world is falling to pieces, fear is growing, there is so much malice all around us, society is becoming less and less Christian…” Don’t you believe that God can transform our dust into glory? The ashes we receive on our foreheads should affect the thoughts passing through our minds. They remind us that, as God’s children, we cannot spend our lives chasing after dust. From there a question can pass into our hearts: “What am I living for?” If it is for the fleeting realities of this world, I am going back to ashes and dust, rejecting what God has done in my life. If I live only to earn money, to have a good time, to gain a bit of prestige or a promotion in my work, I am living for dust. If I am unhappy with life because I think I do not get enough respect or receive what I think is my due, then I am simply staring at dust. That is not why we have been put in this world. We are worth so much more. We live for so much more, for we are meant to make God’s dream a reality and to love. Ashes are sprinkled on our heads so that the fire of love can be kindled in our hearts. We are citizens of heaven, and our love for God and neighbour is our passport to heaven. Our earthly possessions will prove useless, dust that scatters, but the love we share – in our families, at work, in the Church and in the world – will save us, for it will endure forever. The ashes we receive remind us of a second and opposite passage: from life to dust. All around us, we see the dust of death. Lives reduced to ashes. Rubble, destruction, war. The lives of unwelcomed innocents, the lives of the excluded poor, the lives of the abandoned elderly. We continue to destroy ourselves, to return to ashes and dust. And how much dust there is in our relationships! Look at our homes and families: our quarrels, our inability to resolve conflicts, our unwillingness to apologize, to forgive, to start over, while at the same time insisting on our own freedom and our rights! All this dust that besmirches our love and mars our life. Even in the Church, the house of God, we have let so much dust collect, the dust of worldliness. Let us look inside, into our hearts: how many times do we extinguish the fire of God with the ashes of hypocrisy! Hypocrisy is the filth that Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel that we have to remove. Indeed, the Lord tells us not only to carry out works of charity, to pray and to fast, but also to do these without pretense, duplicity and hypocrisy (cf. Mt 6:2.5.16). Yet how often do we do things only to be recognized, to look good, to satisfy our ego! How often do we profess to be Christians, yet in our hearts readily yield to passions that enslave us! How often do we preach one thing and practice another! How many times do we make ourselves look good on the outside while nursing grudges within! How much duplicity do we have in our hearts... All this is dust that besmirches, ashes that extinguish the fire of love. We need to be cleansed of all the dust that has sullied our hearts. How? The urgent summons of Saint Paul in today’s second reading can help us. Paul says: “Be reconciled to God!” He does not simply ask; he begs: “We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). We would have said: “Reconcile yourselves with God!” But no, Paul uses

passive form: Be reconciled! Holiness is not achieved by our efforts, for it is grace! By ourselves, we cannot remove the dust that sullies our hearts. Only Jesus, who knows and loves our heart, can heal it. Lent is a time of healing. What, then, are we to do? In journeying towards Easter, we can make two passages: first, from dust to life, from our fragile humanity to the humanity of Jesus, who heals us. We can halt in contemplation before the crucified Lord and repeat: “Jesus, you love me, transform me... Jesus, you love me, transform me...” And once we have received his love, once we have wept at the thought of that love, we can make the second passage, by determining never to fall again from life into dust. We can receive God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance, because there the fire of God’s love consumes the ashes of our sin. The embrace of the Father in confession renews us from inside and purifies our heart. May we allow ourselves to be reconciled, in order to live as beloved children, as forgiven and healed sinners, as wayfarers with him at our side. Let us allow ourselves to be loved, so that we can give love in return. Let us allow ourselves to stand up and walk towards Easter. Then we will experience the joy of discovering how God raises us up from our ashes.