The Holy Spirit is leading the Church today to rediscover the power, purpose and uniqueness of the gifts given to the laity for the growth of the Kingdom. To facilitate this growing bond between religious and laity, to further our common mission to "prepare the way of the Lord", and to nurture a mutual vision of living in the charism of our Founder, St. Alfonso Maria Fusco, the Sisters of St. John the Baptist offer to their friends and colleagues a program of Baptistine Association.
Last week, Catholics marked the beginning of their Lenten journey by receiving ashes. In doing so, we united ourselves to Jesus, choosing to travel this Lent through the darkness of the inner desert so that we can rise with Christ into the light; the light of life that is spirit-filled, connected, and purposeful.
Our companions on this journey will include scripture, prayer, and acts of penance. Some people will choose fasting and will experience how important it is to develop a hunger and thirst for God and for God’s Word. Others will deprive themselves and in a gesture of solidarity, will share with the poor. Still, others will open their hearts to God through new spiritual practices or acts of mercy.
Those of us who are associates and religious will be with one another, in spirit and in person, offering the fruitfulness of our personal journeys, finding ways to respond more deeply to our desire to live Jesus’ mission within the charisms of our congregation.
Lent is about moving from darkness into light; about refocusing our intention and discovering what God wants of us. It is a time for us to step away from our usual activities, to examine our lives more closely and to ask:
This Lent, let us step away from our usual lives and come together to pray and reflect.
Our Lenten journey as individuals and as Baptistine Associates will be a time of prayer and repentance; a time to acknowledge our weakness, to remember and reflect upon the steadfast love of God, giving thanks for God at work in our lives. It is a time to ask for the grace to become more patient, more humble and more open to direction from God.
This Lent may our hearts be enlarged and strengthened, so that we may be made ready to welcome and rejoice in the great joy of Easter.