There shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create; For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight. While Lent is certainly designed as a penitential season its primary function is to lead those approaching the Church to the Easter sacrments. Particularly in these last two weeks of Lent the Biblical message will be one of the transformation experienced by those who have been washed in the waters of Baptism. The passage from Isaiah on the “new heavens and a new earth” express that the people of God aren’t stuck in the past but can rely on God to do something new in our lives, something delightful. The Gospel of John reminds us that Jesus brings healing to those who approach him. Let us make a resolution to renew our Lenten practices so that entering the pascal mystery during Holy Week will deepen our appreciation of how close God is to us.
