All in the Light of Love.

And if we hold back, then that is sin.

And in these blessed and holy days of Lent, we can bring that failing to Him on the knees of the humility of our helplessness and our need of His grace. So lacerate your heart for your lack of love - then let the balm of His grace and mercy soothe and heal - and let His love for all His creation saturate and permeate your whole being and lives and actions, and spread and widen to cover and fill the whole world and all in it.

Then we shall be the salt, the yeast, the light, the love that Jesus bids us be - and only with His help and starting with our willingness to turn

and to be turned.

We can align with that love; that is a choice we can make with our wills; then let Him act in and through us.

So Lent as a journey; as a taking into ourselves more of Him. Not just for the Forty Days, but for life. New ways, new habits.

AWAY from "the world".. TOWARDS Jesus, following God's word, .......Joel.... Isaiah.. Jesus ( These texts are on the home page)

A purposeful giving.... not a self-centred one.

And thus the emphasis on "sin" that so many find hard. For "sin" is simply a failing in loving; in loving God, in loving each other. Thus that great penitential Psalm 51 says, "Against Thee only have I sinned." ( see home page)

There is in the west of Ireland a Holy Mountain. Croagh Patrick. And it is a symbol of Lent; for Lent is a symbol of life in Christ.

It is a mile of steep rocky path, littered with stones, rock-strewn.... Marked by the Stations of the Cross. Many walk it barefoot. Some even on their knees.

And so in life, we meet many fellow-pilgrims on the way..

And Jesus tells us to love them AS WE LOVE OURSELVES; how often do we shy away from the fullness of that... Hence Isaiah... Lean towards them! Lend a helping hand.... GIVE all you can - not of your abundance but of your substance.

And always, upwards

And always towards the Cross at the top - and the Church where Christ is........

Mark the steps in prayer; mark the days with an extra giving; of time; of resources; for all means loving Him more and more each day. Mother Teresa was wont to admonish people to "Give until it hurts". She knew the secret of sacrificial giving, of the double blessing of it, of the coming nearer to Christ Who gave His life when we give what we value most.

And we show this with our bodies and our substance, because Christ became man and lived as we do - a giving life - a giving death.

So Lent! A giving; a marking,.. A turning...

And let this be not just for Lent; but for always.

St Francis knew the truth of this; he who embraced Lady Poverty to own nothing. And embraced a leper . "..... that we seek not so much to be consoled as to console.... not so much to be loved as to love....

For it is in giving that we receive"...

That paradoxical truth that is the very heart of Christ.

And that thus separates us from "the world" and its shoddy, trivial, materialistic values.

Let us each this Lent lean towards our fellow-pilgrims, when they stumble on stones let us reach out a hand to steady them When they are hungry, feed them... Matthew 38.

So, in practice?

For we are always so ready to nod and agree, but then know not the how of it.

That can be hard!

If you give up eating something, set aside a set sum for each day. One year, I aimed to give enough to a charity to dig a well in a village that had no water. Aim at children? At famine relief? Let any so -slight hunger we might feel feed those whose stomachs ache with the need for food that is not there. Some speak of " raising an opposite spirit"... Let that be so.

If you give up doing........... Let it work for others.....Clear out cupboards and let a charity shop benefit.... Catch up on letters to old friends who may need a kind word... give time and strength to a voluntary scheme, or practical kindness to a lonely or elderly neighbour......

And above all, pray; not intercession but simply spending time in rapt silence with Him Who loves us so much. Love Him and be still with Him.

And why stop when Lent ends? I was asked one year to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy every afternoon. And I loved it so much I carried on to this day; it is a vital part of my prayer life.

Let your turning be eternal.......Let it build strength in your soul.. Let it bring you ever closer and closer to God. For once you have glimpsed and tasted that closeness, you will never turn away again.

So although the track may be rocky and rough, is not the goal so precious that that matters not? To stand atop with that wide, wide view, and with Christ in the Chapel there?.

"Whom have we in heaven but You? And having You?"

We need naught else.

So let Lent be a joy, a deeply meaningful growing time.

And when Easter dawns you will be nearer Him and stronger in spirit and in truth...Then turn not away again.... Turn not your back on Him.. Return not to the world's ways.......keep your eyes on Him, gaze always at the

Cross.....