Our second Lenten Lunch was held at the United Church in Cut Knife, with Elsie Sawatzky giving a very moving message from Father Doan of the Catholic Church and Gisele Brackenbury reading John 9:1-14 and Ephesians 5:8-14 for us. Sheila Hamel told the gathering about miracles in her personal life: how her mother, who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease for a long time, came to remember everyone's names shortly before she died and how her son's fractured ankle was healed just by the touch and prayer of a believer.
Lent, in the Christian tradition, is the time of year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer - through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial - for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most followers of western Christianity observe the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday and concluding on Holy Saturday. The six Sundays in between are not counted because each one represents a "mini Easter", a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death.
With this then in mind, we continue our Lenten journey. It is a special time when we can experience the gifts of God's blessing. We should be happy, we should celebrate and be full of joyful expectations. This is the reason for our joy, the reason for us to believe in miracles, like Jesus healing the blind man who had faith in Him. God is Light; He came to give us His Light. Without Him, we are in total darkness.
When our life is lit up by the Light of Christ, we experience the joy of being liberated from all that holds us back from life's complete fulfillment. In the days that lead up to Easter, we prepare for the fulfillment of our faith, and make our lights burn brighter with prayer so that everyone can see God's Light in us.
The next Lenten Lunch will be on April 20 at Rockhaven at noon.
