St Gabriel Parish Community

 

This is how the Church would like us to take advantage of the special graces and blessin gs God offers us during this time of rededication and conversion.
 
Fasting:  Adults, ages 18-59, are asked to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  Fasting is refraining from food and drink as an expression of interior penance, in imitation of the fast of Jesus in the desert for forty days.  The Church asks healthy adults to refrain from food and drink between meals on these two days and to eat less at their meals (two smaller meals should not exceed the main meal in volume or calories).  Moderation in eating and drinking (even fasting) is encouraged on the other days of Lent.
 
Abstinence:  Catholics over the age of 14 are asked to refrain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. It does not include eggs or dairy products. This sacrifice would help us appreciate the plight of the poor, who seldom have meat on their table.  Of course, substituting shrimp and lobster would defeat the spirit of this practice.
 
Sacrifice: The Rice Bowl is only one of the ways we can discipline our lives as we help others.  The Lord invites us to use our time, talent and treasure to loosen our attachment to the material world and help others minimize their dependence on it.  What we “give up” for Lent is not as important as to whom we give it and why.  
 
Prayer: The Church provides extra Masses, Stations of the Cross, Penitential Services, church access and home reflection materials during Lent.  We are asked to move our spiritual life further up our list of priorities so that we can give it the time and attention it deserves and needs.
 
Reconciliation: Lent is a call to conversion, a time to assess our spiritual life, recognize needed changes and resolve to make it happen.  It is never more real than when it is publicly expressed.  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation,  we assess our spiritual journey, own up to our deficiencies, receive the Lord’s forgiveness and commit to trying harder.  It should be the logical outcome of our Lenten journey.
 
Eucharist: This is the Lord’s most precious gift to us. It seems strange that we have to encourage people to receive it. Nevertheless, the Church asks that every Catholic who has made his/her “First Communion” receive this awesome Sacrament at least once between Ash Wednesday ((Feb. 26, 2020) and Trinity Sunday (June 7).
 
Faith Enrichment: Lent is a great time to learn more about our faith.  Please join the discussion on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays.  Learn why we pray the way we do.  Or explore God’s inexhaustible love for each of us.  Your choice!