Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • February 16, 2024 5 MORE THAN FUNERAL DIRECTORS We are Professional Remembrance Planners Explore the many unique ways to honor and celebrate lives. Call or visit Bradford O’Keefe today. BRADFORD-O’KEEFE FUNERAL HOMES Professional. Compassionate. Dignified. 228-374-5650 • Bradfordokeefe.com Story -- Lost? After a long walk in the woods, Jamie attempted to return to his car but could not find the way. Lost, tired, and hun- gry, he kept walking and sudden- ly saw a lighted sign ahead that read Fresh Bread Baked Daily . His excitement grew at the prom- ise of getting directions to find his car and receiving freshly baked bread that would satisfy his hunger. On entering the shop, he asked for a fresh loaf of bread. The shopkeeper replied, “We have no bread. We only make the signs.” Outward Signs: Most of us who attend church regularly do well with outward ‘signs.’ But Lent presents a particular chal- lenge to internalize our faith more deeply through repentance, faith, living Gospel values, prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Genuine signs from God are Scripture- based, satisfy the hunger of our soul, produce good fruit in the person receiving them, and aid us on our journey of trust in God. But our outward signs are usually ego- based, empty of value, and meant only to self-aggran- dize. Lent provides the road markers to keep us on the path to God. New Beginnings: Today’s Genesis reading is God’s affirming sign for a new generation of people who will trust in Him. From the beginning of creation, evidenced by the sin of Adam and Eve, evil and sin spread in tandem with population growth. Early chapters record the genera- tions between Adam and Noah and conclude, “When God saw how corrupt the earth had become, God said to Noah … I am going to destroy the earth” (Genesis 6:11-13). God instructed Noah to build an Ark, and a forty- day rain destroyed all life except for Noah, his family, and the animals that were on the Ark. Noah and his sons then received the same blessing Adam and Eve were given -- fruitfulness and dominion over the earth. God’s promise to never again destroy the earth by flood is secured with a visible sign of God’s covenant love -- a rainbow in the sky. The bow breaks through our clouds of gloom, stormy days, and stubborn wills to assure us that getting lost in sin can be a temporary, repairable condition. When I see a rainbow, I offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for being faithful to His cov- enant promise. I need those reminders. Lent is another reminder, a sign in the Church’s Liturgical calendar that we can begin again. Repent and Believe: Mark’s Gospel presents Jesus’ temptation in the desert. The Spirit was with Jesus, and angels ministered to Him. Therefore, Jesus proclaimed the Good News, “This is a time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Repentance leads to fulfillment, forgiveness, faith, trust, restoration, and new life in the Spirit. In our temp- tations, the Spirit of God is present. We renew our dedication to die to self rather than to offend God. During Lent, we go into the desert with Christ to be purified and come out with Him victorious over the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. We do this through the practices of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and living daily the sacramental life, especially Reconciliation and Eucharist. As we take an honest snapshot of our lives at this moment in time, the Church calls us to see Lent as a time to grow in holiness. Here is a checklist for your guidance: 1. Repent and believe in the Gospel. This is your move; no one can do it for you. 2. Adopt a deeper prayer life -- pray the Divine office daily. 3. Show up -- if possible, make weekday Mass an additional priority 4. Grow in faith -- do something extra: Bible study, Stations of the Cross, retreat, pilgrimage, Cursillo, a new ministry. 5. Give generously your time, talent, and treasure. 6. Pray, Fast, and Give Alms 7. Be an example of Jesus’ mercy, love, and forgive- ness. 8. Don’t say, “I’ll pray” -- and walk away. Pray with and for someone on the spot. 9. Be grateful to God for everything -- foster an attitude of gratitude toward God and others. 10. Read Galatians 5:22-26 and exercise these vir- tues. 11. Do all the above joyfully -- a gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms. Closing Remarks: Has your faith life been a matter of making all the right outward signs? Are you willing to make serious corrections and adjustments to build an interior life with the Lord that will flow out to those in your imme- diate circle and beyond? The Preface to the Eucharistic prayer for Masses of Reconciliation reads, “(Father), Time and time again we broke your covenant, but you did not abandon us. Instead, through your Son, Jesus our Lord, you bound yourself even more closely to the human family by a bond that can never be broken. Now is the time for your people to turn back to you and to be renewed in Christ your Son, a time of grace and reconciliation.” “I said to the one who stood at the gate of tomor- row: Give me a lamp that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied: God is light -- Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God. That shall be to you better than a lamp and safer than a known path.” Minnie Louise Haskins. Deacon Ralph Torrelli lives in Hattiesburg and is assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Visit his web- site: www.homilypearls.com. 1st Reading: Genesis 9:8-15 Responsorial Psalm: 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 2nd Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Gospel: Mark 1:12-15 1st Sunday of Lent Signs Deacon Torrell i Sunday Scripture Commentaries Pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood, to the diaconate, and to the religious life, especially in the Diocese of Biloxi