Location: St. John Neumann
At the beginning of Lent, we celebrate the Rite of Election of catechumens. The expected moment is approaching, when those who are now the elect will be received to fully participate at the banquet of the Paschal Lamb, by receiving the sacraments of Christian initiation. Having heard the testimony of the godparents and the catechists, the catechumens today express, once again, their determination to travel the final stretch of their preparation during this Lenten season. Starting today, the bond between the godparents and the elect must strengthen, anticipating the moment when they will accompany them at the Easter Vigil. Today their call to form a special friendship on the way of Christ Jesus is expressed in a particular way.
In the first reading, after the universal flood, God makes a covenant with all creation through the figure of Noah.
God will not allow the waters of chaos to overcome his creation again. Furthermore, we are saved from the waters of chaos through the waters of baptism. The values of the gospel are not a flood that drowns, but a stream that purifies and nurtures, making new life in Christ possible.
The covenant that the Lord wants to make with you, dear elect, is destined to give you new life, turning you into adopted children of God in Christ. The waters of baptism will seal the covenant to which God has called you by speaking to your hearts. He will continue to purify and heal you until he calls you into his presence. To do this, the Holy Spirit will be your guide through the desert of this life. He will continue to make Jesus present in your lives, so that you walk with him, participating in his mission.
Pope Francis recently reminded us that Jesus “never abandons us in temptation.”
As missionary disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are challenged to follow Him even to the Cross at Calvary, to fulfill our shared responsibility to more fully establish the kingdom of God in our world. The Holy Spirit will strengthen you with his gifts, so that you can reciprocate God’s unwavering faithfulness to the covenant he has established with his people.
May Our Lady of Guadalupe continue to accompany you and strengthen you with her tenderness, so that at the end of these forty days, a horizon of new life in her Son Jesus may shine more fully before you.
