Did you see that blaze of glory before the altar of the paschal lamb? Over four hundred fifty blooms bowed their heads in submission to their creator in remembrance of your loved ones suffering from cancer. One of our bunches is dedicated to the relief and final healing of Mary who is approaching her Good Friday even as I write this reflection. Many of the mysteries of life are beyond us so we can only pray and intercede as best we can. Let's be present to our neighbors and loved ones as they battle the challenges placed in their lives and support their family care givers in their weary efforts. It is what God wants; He sent His Son to do the same for us.

It is great to see how deeply many of you are getting into your Lenten exercises. Last Friday I passed St. Denis on my way to have blood work done (6:40 AM) when I noticed that a school bus could not find his usual open space to turn his bus around in our parking lot. It was full of cars! Their drivers were in our church communing with our saving God before the start of their day. What a wonderful way to start. That evening more came to share soup and bread with their neighbors before heading down to pray a Rosary and accompany Christ as He walked the Stations of the Cross. But if you can't do any of that, just keep trying to inch up to the Lord in little ways. Remember, He appreciates any little effort and rewards it as only He can.

To help you in the morning you may want to imitate Cardinal Basil Hume as he reflected in the book Hope From The Cross that Anne got for Lent from The Word among Us. Prayer does not have to be words. In it he writes:
. . . sometimes in the morning when you're tired and have a lot of worries in your head, it's not easy to get the head up to God, so you have to pray with your eyes. Sometimes I just sit and look at the cross and say to myself: in all the hospitals there are people dying. A lot of people I meet or who write letters to me are suffering terribly at this moment. So, looking at the cross, I think of all those people sharing that passion, sharing the agony of our Lord. And if God became man - as indeed he did - he came to share a lot of what we all have to live and undergo and gives it meaning and purpose and makes it holy. I find that very powerful, and when people say to me, "I'm very worried" or "I've just lost my husband" or "There's been a terrible tragedy in our family - please pray for me," I say, "Yes, I'll do it tomorrow morning." So sitting in (prayer), looking at the crucifix, I remember that person.
So as Lent continues, let us be patient with ourselves, remember others on the journey, and simply surrender to the Lord.

May you do great things in little ways.
Deacon Walter



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