Church of Our Saviour
Chapel of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

SPIRITUAL CRUMBS FOR LENT 2023
BY FR. ENZO DEL BROCCO, CP

Ash Wednesday
Today’s Gospel offers us the milestones that guide our Lenten journey, the pillars of our spiritual journey.
The first pillar is almsgiving. On our streets and squares, in and around our subway and train stations, there are so many opportunities of almsgiving! But how do we do it? Is it the way according to the Gospel? The term ‘alms’ is a rich one, it comes from the Greek language, and it stands both for God’s mercy and justice. Let us recall how the Father through his son Jesus, stripped of His divine wealth and becoming similar to us in everything, except in sin, and pouring over us such abundant mercy as to give us the dignity of children of God! Almsgiving to those in need means first changing our mentality and heart to see every person as a sister and brother, no matter the color of their skin, culture and faith; it means trying to achieve for them and together with them that justice and mercy capable of treating them with the dignity given them by God. The other necessary element is prayer, as strength, support, challenge, comfort, a request for help in the service of love. The last, but not least, is fasting, that is, the ability to fast not just from food, but from the things that also take away my time and focus from God and my neighbor. It’s an exercise to learn how to dominate our instincts, to be alert and attentive and to not fall asleep with indifference! It keeps your eyes and ears open to see and hear God who asks for help in our needy sisters and brothers. The Gospel then highly recommends that it all must be lived in secret, so that only the Father can see it.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday
During a journey there are times when you encounter a crossroad, and you must take a direction. You cannot hesitate forever at the crossroad and there are also times when you take one way instead of the other because you’re distracted or in a hurry or you simply follow where everyone else is going because it’s apparently easier. Let’s take some time today and reflect on the direction we’re taking in our life and why. Does it really lead to life? Jesus today tells us that “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Friday after Ash Wednesday
When you’re on a journey through a desert you want to carry only what is essential to survive so to make it to your destination. It’s about “letting go” of what is futile and rediscover the true meaning of your life. Fasting helps shift the attention from the stomach (i.e. from physical needs) to the heart (i.e. the need for meaning). It is a way to learn discernment, not a practice aimed at itself, or a good excuse for diets to lose weight with theological motivations. In order to reach the fullness of joy, we fast from our own selfishness to make space for the essential baggage to carry: God and our neighbor.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Today’s gospel shows us Jesus on the road calling those who are excluded to follow him, and he shares his time and meals with sinners and the outcast. Are we willing as a Church to set ourselves on a journey (exodus), to move out to the streets and call the outcast and excluded and sit at the table with them? What kind of company are we looking for and with whom do we want to share our time and “meals”?