Once again that special time of grace is before us, filled with opportunities, filled with invitations. This year we are so happy to extend to you an invitation from Pope Francis that opens his recent Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel:
I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since ‘no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.’ The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step toward Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.
During the weeks ahead, our Lenten Program again provides numerous opportunities to nourish our prayer and learning and reflect on how we can respond anew to our personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
With a tenderness that never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew.
May it be for one and all, a journey into new joy!
