FR JULIAN'S WEEKLY BLOG
16/03/25
​There were a couple of road accidents in the parish this past week. Sadly one, in Lisieux Way, resulted in a fatality; another found a car lying on its side in Chestnut Avenue. It is all to easy to forget that ‘in the midst of life we are in death’; very often we can be responsible for a death. Dangerous driving, taking unnecessary risks, dealing drugs and so on. All of us hold life dear and precious, but there are times when we don’t show it, or properly acknowledging its ending.
Another aspect of ‘death’ is the shrivelling of the soul, when we become distanced from God. Lent is a good time for us to reflect on our mortality and our need for grace that we may have the hope to share in the victory of Easter. Sin is not a word that we use very often these days. We are also very shy of using words such as ‘death’ or dying’. ‘Passing’ or ‘passing away’ are just euphemisms for dying: as Christians we should not have any fear in talking in real terms. A person dies, not passes or passes away. The reason why we speak without embarrassment is because of faith.
By drawing closer to God, the source of all life, our souls become nourished and refreshed, and we discover a desire to ‘enter into the courts of the Lord’ (Ps 84. 2). Lent, meaning ‘Spring’, is a way for us to live life to its full in this world, and to enter the world to be.​
09/03/25
Apparently, we are now in meteorological Spring. Being scientists, seasons have to begin on the first of the month. We are seeing some signs of Spring around us with lambs in the fields, flowers in the garden and hedgerows or roadsides, and (dare I mention it) something big and yellow in the sky – but sssh!, we don’t want to frighten it away…
What is more certain is that we are also in Lent, and Lent means ‘spring’. Just as we see signs of life in nature of months of being barren, so Lent can be springtime for us. We can all get jaded and perhaps complacent about our faith and its growth; just like plants, our faith needs to be encouraged and nurtured.
The additional Lenten services and other opportunities can help us in our faith. Just by taking on something different – not necessarily just giving something up – means that we can add to the regular routine of our faith’s practice, through prayer, almsgiving and fasting. We all (I hope) pray regularly, but we may well benefit from a different form of prayer. We all give to the Church and charity, but we may wish to think of an additional charity. And fasting goes beyond giving up chocolate or sugar in tea. So let’s make Lent a spring time in our faith by making the most of Lent.​