Brothers and Sisters:
God created us to experience joy in communion, to love all humanity, and to live in harmony with all of creation. But sin separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, and so we do not enjoy the life our Creator intended for us. Also, by our sin we grieve our God, who does not desire us to come under judgment, but to turn to the Lord and live.
As disciples of the
Lord Jesus we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from God and neighbor. Repentance, fasting, prayer, and works of love-the discipline of Lent-help us to wage our spiritual warfare. I invite you, therefore, to commit yourselves to this struggle and confess your sins, asking our Savior for strength to persevere in your Lenten discipline.