Lent 2010

St. Paul gives us this text in his work to the Romans and Pope Benedict XVI uses it as his major theme for his Lenten reflection this year. What is justice? How can it best be described? The dictionary calls it "fairness or fair dealing, righteousness and correctness." Our theological dictionary describes "justice" as giving to another what is due. Justice is a universal concern. In the Old Testament justice has to do with one's relationship with another. To be just means to be free of faults that would harm one's relations with others. In the New Testament, justice means accepting the Gospel of Jesus, "by becoming a disciple of Jesus, one is removed from the company of the unjust, and the fulfillment of the commands of justice is an expression of the justice of God."

As believers, we enter this holy season of prayer and penance and we reflect in particular on our relationship with God and with one another. Our recent response to the struggles of the people of Haiti helped us to see how important justice is in our world. We are called to respond to the cries of those who are less fortunate than ourselves and who are in need, always with a spirit of generosity and a sense of justice.

The justice that St. Paul speaks about — the justice of Jesus Christ — is the justice that comes from grace, where it is not man who makes amends for his sins, but it is through Jesus that we have been justified, through his death and resurrection. Our Lenten journey reminds us of our need to turn to God in thanksgiving for the graces we have received and to recognize that through the love of God we have been saved. Our prayer, our penance and our almsgiving are all reflections of this gratitude and thanksgiving. Strengthened by this experience and understanding, as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, "we are moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love" (Pope Benedict XVI).

May this season of grace be a time for inner reflection, a deeper appreciation of the gifts and goodness we share, a time for rebuilding broken relationships through mercy and forgiveness, and "a time for authentic conversion and a deepening of our knowledge of the mystery of Christ, who came to fulfill every justice" (Pope Benedict XVI).

We pray for those seeking employment; we pray for the poor seeking food and shelter; we pray for the lonely seeking encouragement; we pray for families struggling with multiple burdens; we pray for our youth seeking guidance; we pray for the Church in its mission; and we pray for grace and holiness in our lives. Lent is a time of special prayer as we enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus. Let us travel this road together for these forty days, knowing Christ accompanies us in this sacred journey.

Sincerely in Christ,

+ Fred Colli

Bishop of Thunder Bay