Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

With the month of March, we come to realize that we are entering the month and season of new beginnings, springtime!

That which appeared to be dead during the harsh season of winter now, with the coming of spring, surrounds us with a grand display of beauty and new life, hope!

So it is with the season of Lent. Through the practice of prayer, self-denial penance, and sacrifice, the new life of grace assists us in our spiritual life to move from darkness to light, moving from a spiritual winter to a spiritual springtime! The Son of God’s emptying of himself by taking on human nature has brought the winter of everlasting death to the glory of a new springtime of Resurrection!

By imitating the Messiah, he calls us to empty ourselves in order to be filled with his Presence. He calls us to repentance and to be faithful to his Gospel. He reminds us that he came to free us from Satan’s power and to restore - re-order - our relationship with the Father.

Through the sacrificial love of his sorrowful Passion and Death, Jesus, in his crucified body, hanging on the cross with outstretched arms, suspended between heaven and earth, links the two and anchors fallen humanity to his redeeming love. It is on Mount Calvary that the divine realm and the fallen realm—sinners—are reconciled. The Divine Will of the Father is fulfilled in the obedience of the Son. There is only One who can redeem and save us: it is the Lord Jesus who is Mercy, incarnate, and Risen!

So, brothers and sisters, young and old, let us step out of our spiritual winter and step into the springtime of new beginnings. Let us encounter a fresh start by renouncing the fears, disappointments, disillusionments, and sin in our lives and be filled with a sense of new life. This Lent, Jesus wants to meet us where we are. Let us celebrate a fresh start through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as we confess and are absolved of our sins. Jesus is calling us by name to surrender, to give our lives completely to him in order to become more like him. Together, let us commit, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of Our Lady, to grow in holiness as we move toward the glorious celebration of Easter! Amen.

In the Peace of Christ,

Bishop Cotta

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