Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
March 13, 2002
This Lent become a gift in the Gift
Christ spreads his kingdom through loving acts we do
Pope John Paul II accompanies our spiritual journey toward the Easter mysteries with a special message every Lent. As a theme for his reflection this year, the Holy Father has chosen Christ's words from Matthew's Gospel, "You received without paying, give without pay" (10:8).
The foremost gift we have received, says the pope, is the Son of God, whom the Father sent to draw us back into communion with himself. Christ, then, offers himself on Calvary as a ransom, a payment for our redemption. The image of paying a price is used in the New Testament to explain the death of Christ: "The Son of Man has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45). Jesus alludes to the fourth servant song of the prophet Isaiah: "He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors" (53:12). Thus, his vicarious suffering means a payment for the release of man. Saint Peter writes, "You know that you were redeemed ... not with perishable things, with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pt 1:18).
The condition from which mankind is ransomed is spoken of as a captivity, as bondage, as subjection to the power of darkness, to sin and death: "Jesus Christ ... gave himself for us that he might redeem us from iniquity and cleanse for himself an acceptable people, pursuing good works" (Ti 2:14). Therefore, by Jesus' death, man is acquired, or purchased, by Christ and becomes his own, but free. He is consecrated to God and made holy; his ransom from bondage ends in union with God. The saving work of Christ led some of the Fathers of the Church (Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose and others) to picture the devil as the one to whom the ransom was paid.
Lent is a "providential time for conversion," says the pope, a time to experience forgiveness, release from our sins and reconciliation in the sacrament of penance. In this sacrament we are washed clean in the blood of the spotless Lamb (see Rev 7:14). In 1 Corinthians we read, "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (6:20). Only through the personal experience of the gratuity of God's gifts of pardon, peace and mercy can we share these gifts with our brethren. All we need to do is to approach Jesus with confidence and faith: "If you know the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, `Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water" (Jn 4:10).
When Christ sent his Twelve Apostles on the first mission he commanded them: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons." The powers given to them are the very sign of the reign of the messiah, that "pearl of great price" (Mat 13:46). Having been freely raised and healed and cleansed ourselves in a sacramental confession, we feel urged to share that grace of new life and of holiness with others. The first gift to be given is the gift of a holy life, says Pope John Paul II, bearing witness to the freely given love and mercy of God. And as St. Chrysostom adds: "You bestow nothing of your own on those you relieve; for you have not received these things for money, nor wages of labor, for indeed it is not possible to receive a price equal to their value."
In conclusion, the above command of Christ to his apostles shows his demand to dedicate ourselves to our needy brothers and sisters in practical love. The greater their hardship, the more urgent our aid. Christ, the priceless gift of the Father, by giving himself to us in the sacraments, wishes to spread his kingdom on earth through gestures of gratuitous love accomplished by us. Through and with and in the Father's Gift, we become gifts ourselves.
`Healing Our Hearts'
Parish Penance Services
Parishes offer penance services on the following dates.
•March 13, 7 p.m. Christ the King, Evergreen (303-674-3155)
•March 13, 7 p.m. Holy Name, Englewood (303-781-6093)
•March 13, 7 p.m. Most Precious Blood, Denver (303-756-3083)
•March 13, 7 p.m. Shrine of St. Anne, Arvada (303-420-1280)
•March 13, 7 p.m. St. Joseph, Fort Collins (970-482-4148)
•March 13, 7:30 p.m. St. Thomas Aquinas, Boulder (303-443-8383)
•March 14, 7 p.m. All Souls, Englewood (303-789-0007)
•March 14, 7 p.m. St. Ignatius Loyola, Denver (303-322-8042)
•March 14, 7 p.m. St. Michael, Craig (970-824-5330)
•March 14, 7 p.m. St. Patrick, Minturn (970-477-0378)
•March 15, 7 p.m. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Rangely (970-675-8935)
•March 15, 7 p.m. St. Mary of the Crown, Carbondale (970-704-0820)
•March 16, 3 p.m. Immaculate Conception, Lafayette (303-665-5103)
•March 16, 10 a.m. St. Michael the Archangel, Aurora (303-690-6797)
•March 16, 10 a.m. (Spanish) St. Therese, Aurora (303-344-0132)
•March 18, 7 p.m. St. Pius X, Aurora (303-364-7435)
•March 18, 7:30 p.m. St. James, Denver (303-322-7449)
•March 19, 7 p.m. Christ the King, Denver (303-388-1643)
•March 19, 7 p.m. Church of the Risen Christ, Denver (303-758-8826)
•March 19, 7 p.m. Guardian Angels, Mead (303-833-2966)
•March 19, 7 p.m. Holy Family, Denver (303-455-1664)
•March 19, 7 p.m. Holy Name, Steamboat Springs (970-879-0671)
•March 19, 7 p.m. Our Lady of the Mountains, Estes Park (970-586-8111)
•March 19, 10 a.m. St. James, Denver (303-322-7449)
•March 19, 12:30 p.m. Most Precious Blood, Denver (303-756-3083)
•March 20, 7 p.m. Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Denver (303-288-2442)
•March 20, 7 p.m. Cure d'Ars, Denver (303-322-1119)
•March 20, 7 p.m. Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Denver (303-455-0447)
•March 20, 7 p.m. Our Lady of the Plains, Byers (303-822-5880)
•March 20, 7 p.m. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Fort Collins (970-226-1303)
•March 20, 7 p.m. St. Joan of Arc, Arvada (303-420-1232)
•March 20, 7 p.m. St. Patrick, Holyoke (970-854-2762)
•March 20, 7 p.m. St. Paul, Idaho Springs (303-567-4662)
•March 20, 6:30 p.m. St. Theresa, Fredrick (303-833-2966)
Capuchin friars
`Ministry of Reconciliation'
Capuchin Fathers Felix Petrovsky and Maris Goetz of Kansas will provide the sacrament of reconciliation at area parishes during Lent. The priests will be at the parishes on the dates listed. Call parishes for times.
•March 13: St. Vincent de Paul, Denver, 303-744-6119
•March 13: St. Bernadette, Lakewood, 303-233-1523
•March 14: St. Thomas More, Centennial, 303-770-1155
•March 15: Mother of God, Denver, 303-744-1715
•March 16: Mother of God, Denver, 303-744-1715
•March 18: Shrine of St. Anne, Arvada, 303-420-1280
•March 19: Shrine of St. Anne, Arvada, 303-420-1280
•March 20: St. Jude, Lakewood, 303-988-6435
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