Lent (Excerpts From His Holiness Pope Francis’ Homily)

‘Rend your heart, and not garments.'(Joel 2: 13)
Circumcise hearts, and lead pure lives;
Ash Wednesday heralds the Lent
Of prayer, fasting, alms-giving.(Mt.6 1-6,16-18)

In Lent, you turn closer to God;
Fill soul with grace and give up sin;
Let conscience rule your hearts and minds;
Let eyes, ears mundane turn divine.

Remind you’re made in God’s image;
Let’s carry cross till Easter Day;
Offer sufferings, repent for sins;
Our soul matters, not countenance.

By prayer, you commune with God;
Our faith and hope in God returns;
We swim God’s sea of boundless love;
Deep prayer yields grace -priceless gems.

Fasting helps us control our self;
Our spirit grows in things divine;
The greed for food abates in life;
We learn to share excess with next.

We give the needy what we can;
We give unto others freely;
Our love of earthly things then wanes;
The smiles of brethren turn our joy.

Lent calls us to be more holy;
The inert soul becomes divine;
Return to God with all your heart; (Joel 2: 12)
No more the world’s lucre allures!

In Lent, we need to change, repent;
Realize we are God’s special clay;
Let God’s light shine within our hearts;
Let love of God bestow more grace.

Let Lent help us retrace our way;
Let’s change our hearts and living styles;
Let’s follow Christ in earthly life;
Let’s wear on face, a heaven’s gaze!

Copyright by Dr John Celes 12-02-2016