The Portal March 2015 | Page 10

THE P RTAL March 2015 Australia Pages - page 10 Lent When speaking J T Stockman to a long-time, but irregularly church-attending friend recently, I posed the question, “What does Lent mean to you?” I received the reply, “Money borrowed - but not returned!” Persisting, I re-framed the question, directing his thoughts specifically to the religious sense of the word. He said, “Giving up something for a period of time”, adding (jokingly) that he didn’t have much time for it because he remembered that in his youth he had a Catholic girl-friend who gave him up for Lent. For most church goers Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a time of fasting, additional giving, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. It marks the 40 days which Christ spent in the wilderness coming to grips with his humanity and preparing himself for his ministry, knowing the culmination of his mission. a matter of giving up something and donating the money to a charitable cause. It is a reminder of our faith and trust in God. The symbolism of Ash Wednesday should remain with us throughout the entire time. The ashes remind us of our weaknesses and sins, our unworthiness; the Sign of the Cross reminds us of the crucifixion, the resurrection and forgiveness. The season commences on Ash Wednesday, at a service when a Priest, or Minister, marks the Sign of the Cross on a person’s forehead with ashes. In Judean and early Christian history, ashes were a sign of mortality and repentance. Mortality, because on our death, our physical bodies decay into dust (or ashes) and repentance, because in early times, when people were remorseful for their thoughts or actions, they would place ashes on their heads and wear hair-shirts or uncomfortable clothing to remind them of their sins leading to a death of the spirit. Lent provides a particular opportunity for all of us to step back from the hurly-burly of our lives to pause, to create a daily quiet time for reflection on the wonderful gift of life and love we have received from our Father in Heaven. It is likewise a specific season that leads to that most defining event of faith on the Christian calendar. It is an ideal time to grow closer to God remembering the loving message contained in the compelling words of John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should To my mind, however, the period is not simply a not perish, but have everlasting life”. measure of contrition or personal denial and not just Australian news in brief Ordination M onsignor Entwistle reports: “I am very pleased to let you know that Ian Wilson will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in the Ordinariate at 7pm on Thursday, March 26th by Archbishop Philip Wilson in St Francis Xavier Cathedral, Adelaide. Ian’s ordination to the priesthood will take place a few weeks later.” Ian Wilson is at present the Moderator of the Ordinariate in South Australia. Fr Warren Wade, Olsc Warren Laidley Wade: born September 1934, died 9 Feb 2015. He studied at St Francis College, Brisbane and was Ordained in the Anglican Church in 1961. As a priest member of the Brotherhood of the Good Shepherd he ministered in out back NSW in Bourke and Gilgandra regions. In 1975 Fr Warren retired from Church ministry to take up a non church occupation. In the mid 1990s Warren joined the Traditional Anglican Church, and in 2012 became a Catholic and a member of the Ordinariate of OLSC. Warren Wade was ordained a Catholic Priest by Bishop David Walker at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral, North Sydney in December 2012 and looked after the small Sydney Ordinariate Group until his health caused his retirement. May he rest in the peace of Christ. contents page