Thursday, February 24, 2011

Official teachings

Just recently, the people who are in charge of the Vatican's website have posted the Holy Father's annual message for Lent.  This season of preparation for Easter will begin on March 9, but already it is good for us to be thinking about preparing our hearts for the 40-day period.

For some years now, copies of the Holy Father's reflections, spoken at the celebration of Sunday Mass, or after the recitation of the Angelus at noon on Sunday, or of special messages issued for specific times of the year like Lent, are all available on the Vatican's website for the faithful to find.  This is one way that the Holy Father fulfills his task as teacher.

I couldn't help thinking that this author too has adopted the practice of pubishing the words that are spoken on a weekly basis, although I'm not sure that I would see them as the continuing work of official teachings.  Yet, they are a reflection of the events that charaterize our daily lives, and the ways in which the scriptures challenge us to live our faith in the midst of the ebb and flow of life.

Other messages for Lent are surely coming. I'll try to keep an eye out and to point them out as they surface, all the better to allow us to prepare for a faith-filled celebration of the Easter Season.

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