When I woke up this morning it was -6 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though the rectory was a nice spring-like 65 degrees, I felt the bitter cold in my bones. So I pulled the covers over my head, not wanting to face the cold or
the demands of the day. Just as I was about to fall asleep, an idea so beautiful that I could in no way retreat into dreamland came to my mind.
Just beneath that cold layer of snow, under the frozen ground a bulb is beginning to swell with new life. I could almost feel the new life beginning. In a few short weeks it will blossom forth into, perhaps, a crocus or a tulip, a daffodil or a "volunteer" of some sort, and a few weeds, some as beautiful as the cultivated flowers. The desperate grasp of winter will release to the persistent warming of the sun. Spring may be delayed, but it will not be denied.
I thought of this all in the context of the current Church season of Lent.
Beneath the surface of hearts and personalities hardened by the often cold and cruel aspects of life, our Good God has placed a warming, a love that threatens to break those hard surfaces. Jesus continues to offer His healing touch and His delivering love to all of us each day. I have experienced that irresistible love of Jesus in my heart and life. This is no
braggadocios claim, but a simple recognition that God loved this sinner so much that He gave His only begotten Son.
Let this Lent be the time you once again, or for the first time, become aware of the New Life God offers us in this new springtime. During Lent we prepare for Easter. We journey with Jesus, through His suffering and death
to the joy of His resurrection. There is new life for all, and He will not be denied.
With hope and prayers,
Father Mike