5th week of Lent before Holy week begins.

5th week of Lent before Holy week begins.

 Lent finishes at 12 noon on Holy Thursday. Today is the 5th Sunday of Lent and next week we begin Holy Week.

So how has your Lent gone?  Has it been great or a mixed bag( like mine) or perhaps you had great intentions and they all disappeared along the way.

Whatever the case, take a stock take today.  Why do I say this?

It is 5th week and we have the opportunity to start again or tweak or perhaps even start our Lenten journey again.  Never too late to start again.  Perhaps the penance you chose has not really worked for you.  Well, perhaps try something different, or if it is not working well for you, then work out why and change what needs to be changed.

There is a reading from Romans which reminds us of  the race and how they go into training to win the wreath.  It is not the start of the race that hurts but near the end when the finish line is in sight.

This is why we must keep going and run the race to the finish this Lent.

Perhaps if we have been slack or less than enthusiastic in our efforts, we might need to pick up the pace and sprint to the finish line. If we have been steady and solid in our journey, then we need to keep that pace going.  Whatever our circumstances, God knows and sees our efforts.

I have to say that I will probably need to sprint yet again to the finish line and make up for lost time.
Yet again I have to say to God- give me another year..

Yet this week we celebrate the feast of St Joseph which is a day off from Lent.

Perhaps we could ask St Joseph to journey with us through the rest of Lent together.  After all, he was foster father of Jesus, would have taught him his trade as a carpenter and cared for both Mary and Jesus.
So why not ask him to take us into his care as we journey through the rest of Lent.

Keep your faith alive with enthusiasm and burn with love for Jesus this coming week.