St. Teresa of Ávila Catholic Community
 
All Are Welcome!

First Sunday of Lent

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Join us at our Saturday mass, at 4:30 p.m., in the Sanctuary or on Zoom. The passcode to enter is: liturgy.  Please mute yourselves upon entering.  This week’s worship aid is found here.

This week we begin our Lenten practices of fasting, giving to those who have less than us, and seeking our own forgiveness from our Creator. Should we be as strict as our forebearers in these practices? You could – but as Jesus said last week, it is the broader concept of the law not just the words that God is looking for here. Most of us can do with fewer calories each day; those in the world who do not receive enough to sustain life should be exempt from fasting – it is already their lives. Should we give alms? Yes, most definitely, but alms are not only giving coins to an unsheltered individual.  It may take the form of inviting someone you know who does not have any family to share a meal, or it may be donating a new or gently used coat or blanket to someone who has none. I think that penance is where we fall particularly short, simply because we won’t acknowledge our prejudices and accept the fact that we each sin against others. When we do that, we also sin against God. We definitely should seek penance, but we must follow it up by doing better. We will never be perfect, but each of us has racism, classism, and all the other -isms hard-wired. If there is even one individual we feel superior to, we need forgiveness. That includes you and it includes me. This year, let’s think outside the box to see what else we can do, and then don’t pat yourself on the back for it.