NZ bishops encourage faithful to seek renewal during Lent

In a video message, Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen referred to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates and his saying about the importance of examining one’s life. Bishop Gielen suggested people examine three relationships during Lent – with God, self and others.

Among the questions the bishop asked were: How are we responding to God’s love? How are we allowing him into our lives? How is our prayer life?

“We know that love is a four-letter word spelled T.I.M.E.,” so are people allowing time for God?

In terms of relationship with ourselves, Bishop Gielen spoke about “the gifts that life offers”, and suggested a consideration of personal discipline in use of gifts such as the internet, food and alcohol.

“These are all opportunities to examine that and to review where there is a lack of order, to bring order,” he said.

Bishop Gielen also asked people to look at how they help others? “We know that the only thing we can take into heaven is what we have given away on earth,” he said.

He prayed that God’s blessing enables people “to enter Easter with hearts renewed”.

Wellington Archbishop Paul Martin SM said in an Ash Wednesday video message that “these next 40 days are a really precious time for us to prepare our hearts and our minds and our souls for the . . . celebration of the great Paschal Mystery”.

Archbishop Martin encouraged Catholics to deepen their prayer, to seek forgiveness of sins through the sacrament of Reconciliation, to help others through almsgiving and to take part in Lenten devotions and reflections on Scripture.

“These next 40 days, done in a real spirit of faith and with trust in God, really can be a time when the Holy Spirit lives and moves and works in us,” he said.

“I encourage you to really think how you are going to celebrate this Lent well, to be courageous, to choose things that might be difficult to do for these next 40 days, so that when the time comes for Holy Week, you and all of us will be ready to celebrate Easter in a way that will really allow our hearts to be lifted.”

FULL STORY

Bishop Michael Gielen Lent message (Catholic Diocese of Christchurch)

Archbishop Paul Martin Lent message (Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington)