Catholic Transcript Online

The Challenge of Lent – 2006
     
The season calls for a more intense practice of the fundamental exercises of the spiritual life: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is the penitential time for highlighting spirituality, for giving focus to our growth in the spiritual life. We realize that we are either moving forward or moving backward in the spiritual life. Standing still is a way of moving backward.

     Spirituality has attracted a certain popularity in recent years. The proliferation of books, articles, videotapes, audiotapes, and lectures is testimony to that phenomenon. There is a need to enrich our individual prayer lives, to advance our sacrifices – giving up certain practices, carrying out others – to take seriously the practice of fasting as fundamental to the religious life.

     For us as Catholics, spirituality is all of that and more. It cannot remain merely individualistic, running the risk of being narcissistic. We are family: members of the Catholic family, members of the human family.

    Pope Benedict underscores that perspective as he draws his Lenten reflection from the Gospel according to St. Matthew (9:36): "Jesus, at the sight of the crowds, was moved with pity." The Pope immediately addresses the question of development. He quotes Pope Paul VI in his Encyclical, "The Progress of Peoples," in denouncing "the lack of material necessities" and "oppressive social structures."

     Our work for development, says the Pope, is to be more than material progress, but must be that of "complete humanism," bringing people to God and proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ. We must bring the "gaze of Christ," moved with pity, and through our work help others to find God in the merciful face of Christ.

    As members of the Archdiocese of Hartford, we carry out this work through our pastoral services, educational services, social services, and health care services. By direct involvement and financial support, we build a better world and become a better Church.

   It is appropriate that we conduct the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal primarily during Lent. Our work for the Appeal and our gifts in response to the Appeal are fundamentally spiritual exercises. With the effectiveness of the Appeal, our core ministries can move forward, our Vicariate Outreach Programs can continue to make a difference, and our new initiatives can achieve greater success.

    Last year, as you know, we raised the goal of the Appeal from $6.5 million to $7.5 million. You responded with wonderful generosity for a total of more than $8.7 million. We were therefore able to move forward with the new initiatives in affordable housing and wrap-around supportive services, with a clinic for people without health insurance, with tuition assistance for students in all the parish schools in the Archdiocese, and with mentoring programs in leadership skills for minority young people.

    Pope Benedict states in his Lenten Message that "the Church today considers it her duty to ask political leaders and those with economic and financial power to promote development based on respect for the dignity of every man and woman." We are doing that, but we are also forming partnerships to make development happen.

    Our goal this year is $8 million, with $1 million and – please God – more (depending on our success in surpassing goal) going to advance the new initiatives. Through it all, we are bringing the "gaze of Christ" to the challenges, and we are seeing "The Face of Christ – Everywhere."

    Our work in the Appeal and our response to it constitute the classic spiritual exercise of almsgiving. To emphasize the spiritual character of your gifts, I would ask that you unite your gift to your participation in the Eucharist, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is the quintessential act of the Catholic family, the source and summit of the Christian life.

    More frequent participation in the Mass is a specially edifying Lenten practice. The Mass is the outstanding way to celebrate the integrity of our spiritual exercises – prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – and the integrity of our spiritual growth.

    I am profoundly grateful for your inspiring response to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal in the past. May God bless us that we may continue to see "The Face of Christ – Everywhere. Our Work Continues." Thank you very much again for your understanding and your assistance.