ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ CALLS ON FAITHFUL TO RENEW TRUST IN THE LORD IN ASH WEDNESDAY MESSAGE
February 17, 2021  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

Archbishop José H. Gomez, in his column to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles published biweekly in Angelus News, reminded the faithful that lent is a good time to reflect on and center their lives on their purpose. The column dedicated to commencing the Lenten Season is available in English and Spanish at https://angelusnews.com/voices/gods-will-for-us-this-lent/ and  https://angelusenespanol.com/voices/confien-en-el-senor/. 

“We enter into Lent for a second year now under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. Since last Lent, we have seen our lives disrupted and disordered by this deadly disease. Our faith has been tried and tested in many ways,” wrote Archbishop Gomez. “My prayer this year is that we will make this Lent a time to renew our trust in the Lord, to strengthen our confidence in God’s personal love for each one of us.”

To help guide the faithful through the 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Office of Digital Media launched a digital “Lenten Kit” today on lacatholics.org/lent including a calendar with reflection topics for each day, desktop and phone wallpaper as a reminder to trust in the Lord during Lent, and prayer card. All materials are available in English and Spanish and available at lacatholics.org/lenten-kit. Daily Lenten reflections in English and Spanish will be posted on lacatholics.org/lent. The faithful are encouraged to share their Lenten journeys on social media using #LACatholicsTrust.

“Through our prayer, our sacrifices, and almsgiving, I hope that we can come to a new awareness of God’s presence in this pandemic, to understand that even through the suffering and pain, God is carrying out his plan of love. He is still working to make us saints,” continued the Archbishop.

“God is in charge, in the world and in our lives. What we cannot understand today, we will understand tomorrow. The scandal of evil, the innocent who suffer, the hardships that we and our loved ones must endure — in everything God is working according to his mysterious and loving purposes,” wrote Archbishop Gomez. “We need to grow in our trust in the Lord. We need to entrust ourselves more and more to his tender care and seek more and more to do his will in everything.”  

Archbishop Gomez concluded the column by reminding the faithful to trust in the Lord who will never abandon his children.

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