Our journey into the mystery of Lent begins with a powerful proclamation found in the book of Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness".... The phrase "in the image" implies a gift within the person but at the same time a goal set before her, a possession but also a destiny; for being a true person can only be found living in God's presence.

Our goal and destiny therefore is to uncover and posses this Divine gift of our true nature. We are to become partakers of Divine nature as St. Peter tells us in His Epistle. And it is our Church's intent to invite, encourage and support us in this journey of prayer and fasting. It is our church's hope that we commit our life to restore our human nature to that which God created before the fall of Adam and Eve. We are to prepare our vessel to receive the direction and light of the Holy Spirit. We are to lift our hearts in prayer seeking God's truth in our life. It is through prayer that we begin the journey. And it is in the relationship with Christ that we are given hope and courage.

Remember that prayer is the golden link connecting us, the wanderer and stranger upon the earth, with the spiritual world of which he is a member, and above all, with God as the source of life.

St. John of Kronstadt said: "The person who prays must hunger after those blessings-- above all, the spiritual ones: the forgiveness of sins, the hollowing, the strengthening in virtue--for which he prays; otherwise it will be a useless waste of words." He also says, "How can we teach ourselves to speak the truth from our heart during prayer? We must bring every word of the prayer down to our heart, lay it to heart, feel its truth in our heart, be convinced of our need of that for which we ask."

We can't do it alone! Changing our mind and heart is like 'moving' a mountain and we can only do this 'moving' with God's help. Like a true athlete deciding to prepare for the prize, Jesus is inviting us to decide to come closer to Him, to truly know Him, to follow and love Him, to freely profess Him as our Lord and Savior.

You and I must choose 'if' we want to participate in the training during Lent to restore our body, mind, and soul to the 'original beauty' being united with God. I pray we encourage each other to be serious about this journey as week seek to grow and truly love God.

Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. I pray you make a conscious decision to actively participate in this Holy Lenten season with God's Grace. May God grant you strength and boldness during this Lent.

Fr. Tom