February 26, 2025

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

Today, I would like to begin by wishing a Happy Birthday to Sister Mary Camillus O’Keefe on the occasion of her 100th birthday. As you know, Sister Camillus is a Religious Sister of Mercy. She has been stationed for many years at the Uihlein Mercy Center in Lake Placid. I spent a week at the Center – on retreat with the Sisters – a short time ago. Sister Camillus impressed me as an enthusiastic and dedicated religious sister. Happy birthday, Sister.

Now, I want to remind you that soon it will be Lent. The Church will again be celebrating this important and sacred time of our Church year. We will again be challenged to this time of renewal and conversion for those 40 days – a time to unite ourselves ever closer to the Lord with prayer, fasting and good works.

I want to encourage you to begin your Lent by dedicating your prayer and fasting to a special intention. I believe that this is an important practice. It might well be for an intention for your own self or possibly an intention for someone you know who you would like to focus your prayers and good works. Or there may be concerns in your heart for some concern you have for this world of ours or for this country of ours. I know that this will change your own attitude and readiness – dedicating yourself to something special for this time of Lent.

Each year as we anticipate Lent, the first thing that comes to mind is Ash Wednesday and the ashes. On Ash Wednesday, we allow ourselves to be marked; we have determined to make these 40 days a special time, and we are ready to do something for Lent. On this Ash Wednesday, we are reminded just who we are as we receive the ashes: “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.”

And why do we do this? For Lent we must keep our attention on the goal: I want to prepare myself to again walk with Jesus through Holy Week. I want to prepare myself to again join Jesus and the apostles as they join together at the Last Supper. I want to again stand at the foot of the cross of Jesus on Good Friday. I want to again run with Peter and John to the empty tomb of Jesus.

I encourage you to find your own personal way through Lent. There are many books on Lent, many suggestions for making resolutions for Lent, but always find your own way, your own practices for Lent that make you comfortable – your way of finding God. Find your road for conversion.

I do want to tell you that I found true peace with the Lord through such an extended period of spiritual renewal for Lent. I know that I want to find the way to a new life; I know there are many opportunities for finding the road to conversion and sainthood.

For me, I am convinced that I need to find time for silence – for silent prayer, a time to allow the Holy Spirit to become more active in my life. Silence helps me find the calmness and peace to pray in the presence of the Lord during Lent. When I open my mind and heart, I know that I will give God the opportunity to find me and to be with me.

Let me offer one other prayer that empowers me for Lent that is good for me. That is the Stations of the Cross. I know there are books and prayers for this devotion. However, for me I find a more meaningful closeness with the Lord Jesus by being silent, walking from one station to the next, stopping for a moment to silently looking at each station. So, I go in this fashion through the 14 stations to Calvary and then on to the tomb of Jesus.