Scriptures: Lk 19:28-40, Is 50:4-7, Phil 2:6-11, Lk 22:14-23
This is the last week of Lent. This week begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter. This week is Holy Week. The Triduum begins on Holy Thursday, continue with Good Friday, the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and then we celebrate on Easter morning. Wow, that's a lot of stuff going on. We are taking the last week of Lent to focus on Almsgiving. This time, we;re talking about treasure. Treasure is anything we own.
This week we challenge your family to do some Spring cleaning. Do you have clothes, boots, coats, and things you have out grown? Why not box them up for St. Vincent De Paul or Good Will? Kids, do you have games and toys that you no longer play with? Why not bring them to a shelter or foster home?
Those ideas were easy..they were getting rid of things not in use. Now, what about giving up somthing you are attached to?
As a family this week, come up with one item that you could try to live without in your house. Give that away to an elderly person or someone who could use it. Almsgiving isn't always giving from our wealth. Sometimes it's giving where it hurts us a bit. If we don't ever feel it, we won't be able to count the cost.
This week we enter into Jesus' suffering and death...his Passion. Jesus gave up so much for us. he suffered humiliation, embarrassment, ridicule and pain. Most of all he suffered a terrible death on the cross. This was a gift to you and me. He died so that we might be able to share in the resurrection one day. Jesus loves us and wants us to know what it means to love without measure. Take the challenge this week!
