Letter From Our Pastor

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Lenten Message

In the frigid grip of Winter, some of us are looking forward to Spring’s warmth and the signs of renewal in the beauty of nature. But first, we must traverse this cold season and move through the time of Lent.

Ash Wednesday, February 18th, begins our journey of preparation through Lent to the most holy days of the Christian faith – the celebration of the Easter Mystery. This period of roughly forty days is our personal pilgrimage through a time of preparation and conversion towards the joy of Easter.

The Israelites wandered for forty years in the desert before they could enter the Promised Land. Have you every wondered why they took so long to get from Egypt to Israel? It wasn’t because they got lost, the plane was cancelled, or the men wouldn’t ask for directions. They needed that time to move beyond their experience of slavery to the Egyptians. They needed to forget the foreign ways they’d adopted and to learn to trust and follow the Lord with an undivided heart.

Our shorter journey of forty days through Lent is time to set aside those things that are keeping us snared in sinful practices or behaviours and to create a clean heart within us to celebrate a renewal at Easter. Our traditional practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving (charity) are tried and true methods to help us be ready to celebrate Easter with a renewed heart and mind.

Have you noticed that all of these practices require a gift of self? To pray is to give time to God to enter our lives. Fasting is to deprive ourselves of something to give ourselves confidence we have the strength to renounce sin. To practice charity is to give to others from our blessings to relieve their suffering.

The sign of the ashes we wear on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday at the start of Lent is a visible reminder we realize our time on earth is a journey not our final destination. We are on a pilgrimage to the life to come; our time here is fleeting. One day we will pass away, our bodies shall turn to dust and a new horizon with God will open for us if we have been his friends in this life. We are fragile beings who are called to a great destiny as a daughter or son of God. Our Lenten renewal shapes us to live more authentically that calling now so that we can embrace it fully when we leave this life.

Our Lenten journey is a time to address our need for spiritual conversion and renewal. It is kind of a ‘Spring-cleaning’ for our soul and an opportunity to reconnect more purposively with our Lord in the practice of our faith as we prepare to celebrate the Easter mysteries.

Catherine Doherty, the founder of Madonna House in Combemere, Ontario, once wrote: “Lent is a time of going very deeply into ourselves… What is it that stands between us and God? Between us and our brothers and sisters? Between us and life, the life of the Spirit? Whatever it is, let us relentlessly tear it out, without a moment’s hesitation.”

May God bless you on your Lenten pilgrimage to Easter.

Father Geoffrey Kerslake

Pastor

Sunday Reflection:  5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday, February 8, 2026

The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

Reflection

In the Lord’s name, the prophet Isaiah exhorts the people to address the needs of the downtrodden, for it is then that the Lord will answer when they call. Paul writes to the Corinthians that he resolved to know nothing … except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  At our baptism, we receive the light of Christ. While this light of faith certainly illumines our path, it is also meant to be shared with others. Through our good works, the light of Christ shines forth, helping others to recognize the work of God in our lives and drawing them to give him thanks and praise.

(Reprinted with permission from PrepareTheWord.com)

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To all the Parish’s generous faithful

Thank you to all who donate to the ongoing operation of the parish.  For e-Transfer please send it to admin@holyspiritparish.ca and use the password, Holyspirit (all one word with a capital H).  We currently have a significant number of parishioners who contribute via bank auto debit.  If you would like more information about the program or wish to participate, please contact the parish office at 613-836-8881 or email admin@holyspiritparish.ca