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Taken
from the March 2007 parish
magazine.
For the last few years, the March magazine has been published as we
begin Lent. Once again we have an opportunity to use this
month
as a preparation for the great festival of Easter.
Lent has the potential to be a time for growth. This is why
it is
helpful to take time for self examination and prayer. Fasting or giving
up things is a way of showing that this is an important time.
Giving up a TV programme can be a way of freeing time up to read or
pray.
It
can also be useful to reflect on our everyday experiences.
As
a family, we had a terrifying moment on our return from the Alps this
year.
We
were driving down a mountain road, and I made what became a very bad
decision to take the snow chains off too early, expecting the road to
be clear. It wasn’t and we had the frightening experience of
going down a steep mountain road, trying to slow, but with the brakes
being ineffective or inducing a skid. By God’s good
grace
we stopped just inches before a steep slope and a horrendous
experience. We were very shaken but also amazed by the help
of
the few other French motorists around. They spent a good half
hour, in the cold, helping us to get the snow chains back on, and
pulling us back away from the edge. We were touched and moved
by
experiencing God’s good protection and some real human
selfless
kindness. It was also humbling for me to realize how easy it is to make
a potentially fatal mistake.
Our gospel allows us to move on from the point of discovering our
inadequacies and failures. It is not a recipe for depression.
Rather, through confession, forgiveness and being transformed by the
love and power of God, we can continue our journey of growth into the
likeness of Christ. As we discover more about ourselves we
can be
honest and celebrate God’s great gift of life and
love. We
can also have a renewed sense of the importance and special gift of
those around us, family and friends, so we can appreciate and enjoy our
time together. I pray that this Lent may be an enriching time
for
us all.
Rev W Henderson
