The Final Stretch...Preparing for Holy Week

With just a week and a half until Holy Week, we are entering the most spiritually significant days of Lent. This is the time to pause and reflect: Have we truly allowed this season to draw us closer to Christ? Have our sacrifices, prayers, and acts of charity led to a deeper conversion of heart?

At the start of Lent, we may have embraced our commitments with enthusiasm, but as the weeks have passed, we may have struggled with distractions, fatigue, or even complacency. Yet, God’s grace is still at work. These final days before Holy Week are an opportunity to renew our focus, to recommit ourselves to the journey, and to walk with Christ toward the Cross with greater intention.

The disciplines of Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—are not meant to be mere exercises in          willpower but paths that lead us to Christ. Through fasting, we learn dependence on God. Through prayer, we open our hearts to His voice. Through charity, we become instruments of His love. These practices prepare us for the sacred events of Holy Week, where we will witness the depth of Christ’s sacrifice and the triumph of His resurrection.

Now is the time to take these final days seriously. If we have fallen short, God’s mercy is always waiting. If we have not yet gone to confession, now is the perfect time to receive His grace. If our prayer life has been inconsistent, let us turn to Him with renewed devotion. Holy Week is not just a remembrance of past events but an invitation to enter into the mystery of Christ’s Passion in a personal way.

As we approach Palm Sunday and the days leading to Easter, let us ask for the grace to accompany Christ with faith and love. May we finish Lent strong, so that when Easter morning arrives, we may rise with Him, renewed and transformed by His love.

Blessings,   

Deacon Mike