The Three Pillars of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving
First Pillar: Prayer
- Personal Prayer
This is a gift of the Holy Spirit, whereby we can communicate with God. He is always with us; Lent is an opportunity to be more open to his presence. We respond when we recollect ourselves and open ourselves to this presence. Sometimes we use words – prayers we have learned or spontaneous prayer – at other times we are just silent before the Lord. This can be our deepest prayer. Jesus says, ‘When you pray, go to your private room (tameion) and, when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who sees all that is done in that secret place’. The tameion was the room at the centre of a classic Greek house where the valuables were kept. Using this term in reference to prayer suggests that our prayer is at its best when it is in the heart. Going to our ‘private room’ is not a place; it is the centre of our life, our heart. O Sacred Heart of Jesus I place my trust in Thee.
- Liturgical Prayer
Then we have community prayer, called the Liturgy. It consists of Mass and the sacraments. At Mass we enter the death and resurrection of Christ. At Holy Communion we are receiving his body given on the Cross and his blood poured out for us. This unites us with Christ and with one another. Community/ communion is an essential part of Christianity. This Lent is an invitation to come back to Mass if you are physically able. We are fortunate here in Christ the King, that in such a large church we are less likely to contract diseases, like Covid. I wish you all a fruitful and joyful Lent. More anon on the other two Lenten pillars.
Recent Deaths: We pray for Charles Gaffney, Evergreen Rd; Ken Moore, Montenotte; Bishop David O’Connell, late of Glanmire and we sympathise with their families.