Our Journey with the Savior

Dear Friends,

In spite of missing the opportunity to celebrate together as a community on Ash Wednesday due to the weather, we have offered many opportunities for prayer and growth as we’ve journeyed together during this Lenten Season. Thanks to the dedicated priests in our area parishes, we have been able to offer a weekly Mass on Thursday mornings at 7:20 in our Chapel. These priests, along with many others, were with us for our Lenten Reconciliation Day on Friday, March 17, offering the opportunity for healing and forgiveness and new beginnings as we prepare for the new life that Easter brings.

It was in this spirit of healing that we celebrated a special Lenten Mass of Healing on Tuesday, March 14. As I mentioned in my welcome at the beginning of Mass, we all have times when we are in need of healing . . . times when we truly feel broken . . . times when we come before our God in our brokenness, asking for the healing that He alone can give. Our first reading at Mass was from Isaiah with words that Jesus would later use in describing the mission given Him by His Father:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the Lord

                                                   Isaiah 61:1-2

Like the broken to whom He ministered in the gospel, we, too, are the broken, so much in need of the touch of our Savior . . . a Savior Who continues to walk beside us, offering the healing and the forgiveness and the strength we need to face all that life holds for us.

With that in mind, I offer a reflection which I shared a few years ago, using some of the many people whose lives were changed or transformed by Jesus’ presence. We hear from Joseph who was definitely unprepared for what Mary would reveal to him; we see a man named Simon of Cyrene who did not want to be involved; we stand with a Roman soldier who is unsure why he suddenly begins to care. I hope that these stories will in some way touch your hearts, showing you the difference that Jesus continues to make in our lives.

May we always know and remember that we never make this journey alone . . . we were created to share the journey, and God sent His only Son so that our journey would be complete. Always know that my thoughts and prayers are with you, thankful for and blessed by all that we share as members of this BSM family.

Love and Prayers,
Mike J