2025 – Lent

The topic of housing is never far from the news headlines in recent years. In St John’s Gospel there is a beautiful passage about the ‘Fathers House’ and that there is a room there for us in the Father’s House if we are faithful. What an image…. what if we are building our ‘Spiritual Home’ in heaven through our lives here on earth. Maybe our spiritual home has been built on sound foundations given to us by our parents, or maybe we had to start on a green field site. Whether this spiritual home is completely built or in the process of being built, the season of Lent calls us not to leave it at the planning stage.

Lent affords us to take a look around the ‘home’ of our spiritual lives. Are there rooms that need a little cleaning or redecorating? Has the house been neglected and needs professional help? The forty days of Lent give us an opportunity to review our spiritual lives a little more critically. In the gospel this weekend (Luke 6: 39-45) Jesus challenges his disciples to look more critically at themselves rather than criticise those around them. When we build the house of our faith we need to use good materials. These materials need to stand the test of time, ensuring us a place that we can call home, a spiritual place where we can find refuge and protection amidst the storms of life.

Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday (Mar 5th)  gives us an opportunity to walk around the ‘spiritual’ house we are building… are we using good materials, what area needs redecorating? Lent is not always about giving up or knocking down, it can also be about building anew or taking something on… Lord guide us throughout this sacred season.

Fr. Joe O’Neill