“This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs. Let us ask ourselves in the presence of the Lord whether, as bishops, priests, consecrated persons and laity in the service of the Kingdom of God, we cooperate with others. Whether we show ourselves welcoming, with concrete gestures, to those both near and far. Whether we make others feel a part of the community or keep them at a distance.[4]This, then, is a second call to conversion: a summons to synodality.”
Read The Lenten Message of the Holy Father
“Like the faithful who have journeyed before us, may we seek the light of Christ amidst our trials, becoming beacons of hope for others in our communities. This journey is not solely a personal endeavour; it invites us to walk together, sharing our joys and burdens and extending Christ’s love to all.”
Read Bishop Kirkpatrick’s Lenten Pastoral Letter
On Now Through December 28, 2025
English: https://www.cccb.ca/lent/
French: https://www.cecc.ca/careme/
The Soul’s-Heart
Lenten reflections from Sheila O’Handley, Diocesan Hermit
Welcome to Lent during the Jubilee Year of Hope.
Pope Francis, on December 24th 2024, declared the year 2025 a Jubilee Year: “Spes Non Confundit” – Hope Does Not Disappoint. With this proclamation he advocates and encourages each of us to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ amidst the struggles, the anxiety, and the fragility afflicting the human family today.
Hope is more than a sentiment of good wishes anticipating future possibilities. Hope is a life artery of the heart – a virtue of resilience activating the best that resides within the human spirit.
During the Jubilee Year, also referred to as a Holy Year, a number of rituals and practices are recommended, which the faithful are encouraged to participate in. During Lent I will attempt to highlight the meaningfulness of some of the rituals and practices associated with a Jubilee Year. One such practice is pilgrimages to holy places through out the world – such as the Holy Land, and particularly Rome.
Since most of the faithful are not in a position to make such pilgrimages, I am suggesting that our Lent this year be a pilgrimage within the holy land of the soul’s-heart.
Thomas Merton, the late Trappist monk of Gethsemani in Kentucky, USA, best describes in his book, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, the holy land of the soul’s heart – “le point vierge“- ‘the virgin point’.
“At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusions, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God which is never at our disposal, from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our mind or the brutalities of our own will. This little point of nothingness and of absolute poverty is the pure gold of God in us. It is so to speak His name written in us, as our poverty, as our indigence, as our dependence, as our sonship. It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody, and if we could see it, we would see there billions points of light coming together in the face and blaze of a sun that would make all the darkness and crudity of life vanish completely”.
This virgin point is gift. It is not of our making. It is who we are – daughters and sons of God made so by Divine intent. It is here within the ‘virgin point’ that we lack nothing, that we are whole and thus holy. To reach this holy place of Self “from which God disposes of our lives, which is inaccessible to the fantasies of our mind or the brutalities of our own will”, is our life’s journey.
Starting points are important. It helps to begin in the right place. Let us then begin our Lenten pilgrimage of Hope rooted in the holy land of Merton’s understanding of our soul’s heart, and comforted by the words of the prophet Jeremiah 29-11: “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.
We are already holy: let us go forward into our Lenten Jubilee pilgrimage arrayed in Hope.
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Week One: Pilgrims of the Holy
Without doubt we have all known the experience of being pulled in a thousand different directions, if not by our actions, then certainly by the array of thoughts rushing through our minds.
Jubilee Year 2025, in company with the liturgical season of Lent this year, offers an opportunity for conscious focus – for being Pilgrims of Hope. If there is anything for certain on this earth, that is for sure, it is that we are all pilgrims!
One way or another we can all identify with Moses in the first reading of the First Sunday of Lent: “a wandering Aramean was my father” … Some times we experience being pilgrims because we have lost our moral compass, sometimes it is a sense of insecurity, sometimes a sense of not knowing how to come home to our true Self, while at other times the wandering is simply the place of waiting for the birthing of what is meant to be.
Pilgrimages to holy places are encouraged during a Jubilee year. Last week’s introductory reflection suggested that our pilgrimage during Lent be a journey of our soul’s heart. I recommended that Thomas Merton’s reference to ‘the virgin point’ at the center of our being where we are at ONE with the Divine Source, be our point of departure. This ‘virgin point’ might also be a wilderness place that is unknown and unfamiliar to us, a place to be encountered, explored, and responded to with conscious resolve, not unlike the wilderness experience of Jesus in Sunday’s Gospel.
All religious traditions have their sacred or holy places that evoke a sense of awe, of mystery, of wonderment, an entrance into another world and another reality, an intensity and depth which purposefully distills the ego’s agenda. These sanctuaries of the holy are filled with religious, cultural, and architectural and artistic history that affirm both the creativity of the human spirit, and the holiness of Life. They are the temples of humankind – temples of the heart.
The four major Basilicas – ‘holy places’ in Rome which pilgrims will visit during Jubilee Year are: St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul’s outside the Wall, along with several of the other churches in Rome.
And then there are the sanctuaries of personal experiences of the holy: love making, birth of a child, meal preparation, friendship, a starry night, the death of a loved one, being greeted by a loving pet, and the multiple struggles that gestate greater consciousness.
During the first week of Lent, less we forget the holiness that we are, recall the words of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings have a human experience.”
Recall to mind:
: that you are holy.
: the place of memory of personal experiences of the holy… they continue to be alive in the feeling tone of the body and the soul’s heart.
: be a pilgrim and visit a holy space such as your parish church, your diocesan cathedral or basilica; if that is not possible be a research pilgrim and research a holy place – its history, art, architectural structure, and or its religious significance.
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Week Two : The Door of the Heart
A sense of history and a sense of one’s ancestry is indeed valuable. It affirms us and grounds us in our identity – how we got here, what shaped us, what values we decided to live by, and what rituals we practiced… all of which gave us a sense of place and of purpose.
The Hebrew Scriptures in the Book of Leviticus 25: 8-55 meticulously outlines a plan of actions to be implemented during a Jewish Jubilee Year. One could say, encountered therein, is a clear inclusive and just economic blue print for the well being of both the people and the land. A promise of hope indeed.
The land that Yahweh promised to Abram in Sunday’s first reading was etched in the memory of the people as a religious experience, which played out in a covenant relationship between Yahweh and the people.
Clearly, the Land therefore became an important focal point during a Jewish Jubilee Year. And to underscore the religious significance of the Land, Yahweh commanded Moses, in Leviticus 25:9 -10 “You shall sound the trumpet throughout the land … this is to be a jubilee for you”. A year of joy and liberation for the people.
The Catholic Jubilee Year is rooted in the Jewish festive tradition outlined in Leviticus. The first Catholic Jubilee was established by Pope Boniface V111, in the year 1300. In 1423, Pope Martin V, instead of sounding the trumpet, initiated ‘The Holy Door’. In 1499, Pope Alexander V1 initiated the practice of opening The Holy Door to mark the beginning of a Jubilee Year.
To date, in Rome, the Holy Door of each of each of the four major Basilicas has been opened. Also, at the beginning of this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis opened ‘a fifth door’ – the Chaple Door in the Roman prison at Rebibbla, a suburb of Rome.
This personal action of Pope Francis sure feels like someone invaded with love… “when I was in prisoned you visited me…” Matthew 25:36, and in Leviticus … “proclaim the liberation of all the inhabitants of the land”. In this gesture of love the Pope advocated for governmental reforms: amnesties, pardons, and the abolishment of the death penalty, as expressions of visible hope for the incarcerated.
Let us then open the door of our hearts to be living corporal works of mercy – alms giving of Jubilee Hope to the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the naked, the thirsty, the stranger, and the hungry.
Suggested prayer and prayerful reading for the Second Week of Lent.
Prayer
Holy One, you are the home-land of all people.
Bless the land of all people with peace.
Open to all the door of our heart,
So that we may journey together into the promised land of Hope.
Readings
Leviticus 25: 8 – 55 or some passage from the Book of Leviticus.
Corporal Works of Mercy found in Matthew 25:35-45
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Week Three Life: A Rhythm of Rituals
At heart we are ritual makers. If we observe life at all, we will soon notice that life is a rhythm of rituals – personal, cultural, national, ancestral and religious. These rituals, some quite simple, others more elaborate, and some more than others carry a depth of symbolic meaning, spiritually and emotionally. They ground the individual and the collective human family in the promotion of right practices and of right relationships, in the pursuit of and the cultivation of just and compassionate societies.
This the Third Week of Lent will highlight the ritual practice of ‘crossing over the threshold of the Holy Door’, or one of the Holy Doors if you are a pilgrim in Rome during the Jubilee Year.
Life is a ritual of thresholds – marriage, making religious vows, ordination, giving birth, graduation, a new job or a first job, obtaining a diver’s licence, all of which are both a point of entry into something new, and the departure, the leaving behind of something. They all require a personal maturity of commitment.
At the heart of the ritual ‘crossing over the threshold of the Holy Door’, is a personal maturity of spiritual consciousness and commitment to RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS – with oneself, with others, with the world, and with God. It is pivotal therefore, that prior to the pilgrim crossing over the threshold of ‘the Holy Door’, he, she intentional decide to commit themselves to the inner homework of re-orienting their heart’s RELATIONSHIPS.
Pope Francis, in his initial address in invoking the Jubilee Year, called the family of Nations to enact right relations of Hope for the poor countries of the world by requesting the release and pardon of all debts, the just care of the land, and the sharing of the world’s resources.
This one act of pardoning debts would indeed be a threshold moment that would reframe the lives of so many of the people in the world’s poorest countries. The question remains: have our Nations the will to act justly?
Jesus invites us through the door that offers us life in abundance – “I am the door. Anyone who enters through me will be safe. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:9 -10) and “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14.6). Christianity is its best, when it aligns itself with Jesus – the Way, the Truth and the Life.
During the Third Week of Lent, let us survey the inner lining of our heart, and address – what personal debts might we be carrying, holding on to, and need to cancel, and let go of in our relationship with myself, with God, with others, and with the world?
Prayer:
Jesus, you are the heart’s passage and pathway to right relationships.
We lean into you to act justly.
May justice reign in the hearts of all.
We pray.
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Week Four: A Celebratory God
Who among us does not enjoy a celebration? We know individuals who would assign a celebration to any event or occasion, bless their free spirit. If ever there was a time when the human family would appreciate the joy that accompanies creative celebrations it is NOW.
Let us then comfort one another with simple acts of kindness, be selective as to what and to how much news and information we allow to invade our hearts, welcome the early signs of spring, go for a walk in nature, prepare a garden, accompany the waxing moon, go to a musical, visit a friend…and remember the Prophet Isaiah’s description of God… “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you”.
Sunday’s Gospel (Luke:15-32) – The Prodigal Son reveals what God is like – a God whose very nature is that of LOVE, and that of CELEBRATION.
Sometimes, we get lost in the younger son’s immature selfish decisions, in the older son’s resentment and jealousy, and in our personal list-making of the same frailties within our own hearts, and miss the father’s celebratory big heart – miss the very essence of God.
While reflecting on the parable of The Parodical Son, it might be helpful to recall T.S. Eliot’s words of wisdom expressed in his forth poem of ‘Quartets’- ‘The Dry Salvages… “We had the experience but missed the meaning…” (we had the experience – forgiveness, and missed the meaning – celebration). Might his words be a caution to us not to be so preoccupied with our and others’ human frailties, and miss the God who celebrates.
A Jubilee Year is a time for joy-filled celebrations. Let sounds of celebration ring out.
Rome has been preparing for some time now to welcome during the Jubilee Year, up to 30 million tourist-pilgrims from around the world. Monthly venues of religious, artistic, and cultural celebrations have been prepared not simply to entertain, but to instill and assure the human family that Hope, the artery of the heart, is alive and well.
During the month of April celebrations will focus especially on the festivities of Holy Week and Easter – third week of April, on April 5-6th celebrations will honor the Sick of the World and Health Care, the 25-27 of April, Jubilee of Adolescents will be celebrated, and on April 28-29th it will be the Jubilee of People with Disabilities.
During this week of Lent become a pilgrim:
Celebrate someone, even yourself, and or an event past or present that has meaning for you.
Visit the sick, assist someone with a disability, or support a youth group in your area.
Creator God,
You observed your creation
ever ancient, ever new
declaring – it is good
You beheld yourself in us
announcing – we are very good
in gratitude
we give thanks
for the good
and the very good
proclaiming your creation – love
a joy – full celebration
for all the world.
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Week Five: Birthing New Possibilities
Our Lenten Reflections will come to closure shortly. Jubilee Year will continue to be celebrated until the closing date, scheduled for January sixth, 2026 in Rome, with the closing of The Holy Door at St. Peters Basilica. The remaining Holy Doors in Rome will close on December 26th, 2025, as will all local Diocesan celebrations.
And we, we will continue to be Pilgrims of Hope. We will be inspirited by the hope-filled vision of the Prophet Isaiah in Sunday’s first reading – “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do new things: now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”. Just imagine the turn-around – rivers running through the wilderness, rivers flowing through the desert. YES, we will imagine birthing new possibilities, one small act of birthing kindness, truth, justice, compassion, and love until we birth a new world order.
Then there is the political scene of confrontation in John’s Gospel 8:1-11. The Pharisees and Scribes, the supposed keepers of the law, are endeavoring to trap Jesus regarding his knowledge and practice of the Law of Moses. Jesus’ response – “Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.”
This image of Jesus’ action has always fascinated me, and the suggested meanings of possible explanations, all fine in their own right, never seemed to completely satisfy my curiosity. There was always some thing more in Jesus’ calligraphy. What it was I don’t know, but I think it had something to do with the Land and the nature of God’s connection with the Land…the earth and the cosmos.
Jesus’, gesture of touching the earth released a unity of reconciliation that changed the Scribes and the Pharisees, and liberated the unnamed victim woman, who was the centre of the political confrontation. Putting ourselves in right relationship with the LAND will change us.
Pilgrimages are journeys to unknown places. Hopefully during Lent, as we journeyed to unfamiliar places hidden in our hearts, we were surprised by the many blessings we discovered. Pilgrimages are a blessing and they change us.
What is it that I need to change as I continue Life’s pilgrimage of birthing new possibilities of Hope?
Prayer
Divine Pilgrim
renew my trust
in you
in life
in self
in others
in the evolving world
journey through me again
so that I may begin again where I left off.
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Easter 2025: Mystery of Resurrected Love
Let us move into Holy Week keeping watch, and wrapped in the creative presence of SILENCE before the Mystery of Jesus Crucified. Some times only Silence can narrate the experience.
NOW
REJOICE IN RESURRECTED LOVE
ALLELUIA…ALLELUIA…ALLELUIA
Let us imagine a world community flowing with the milk and honey of Resurrected Love.
IF WE IMAGINE IT…IT CAN HAPPEN
Sister Ilia Delio, OSF – Used with permission
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