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‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community

News of the Diocese

February 15, 2024

‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community
‘Happy Lent,’ Bishop Woost tells Elyria Catholic community

The Ash Wednesday liturgy at Elyria Catholic High School was even more special this year because it featured a visit from Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost.

“I have a confession to make: I love Lent,” he told those gathered for Mass in the school’s James E. Terrell Performing Arts Center. “It’s my favorite season of the entire liturgical year.”

The bishop built on the theme of a happy Lent, which was presented by Annie Heidersbach, school president, who includes a reflection in her daily prayers during Lent. She shared the Ash Wednesday reflection with the EC community, noting how it connected to Bishop Woost’s homily theme of a happy Lent.

He loves Lent because of the challenges its offers and for the surprises that God provides during the season, he said. “I am excited to see what kind of challenges and surprises God is going to bring about in my life during these 40 days. For me, every Lent truly is an exciting and life-changing time because of what God has in store,” the bishop added.

(See photo gallery above.)

The students were encouraged to think about the challenges they accept willingly, such s as training and improving their performance in athletics and studying in order to grow in knowledge and their intellectual abilities.

But Lent also offers challenges, the bishop said. Perhaps the biggest one is to become better Christians and disciples of Christ, growing in holiness and virtue. He said Jesus “threw down the gauntlet” in the day’s Gospel, challenging us to grow and be transformed into more faithful followers of Jesus and to accept the Lenten challenge of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

“We accept the challenges of becoming better athletes, better team players and better students, but will we accept the challenge of becoming better disciples of Jesus?” the bishop asked.

As high school students, he said they may not be able to write a check to support a favorite charity, but they can give alms in another way. “What about giving something of yourself – your time and talents? Is there something you can volunteer for her at Elyria Catholic to build up this community of faith? Can you invest your time or talents to assist someone in need? Is Jesus calling you to get involved at your parish or with your parish’s youth group? Maybe this Lent, Jesus is challenging you to give yourself as alms to build up and serve your school, your parish or someone in need.”

Regarding fasting, the bishop said giving up a favorite food, candy or a favorite beverage is not the only way to fast. He suggested “fasting” from gossiping, from talking about other people behind their backs or ignoring classmates who don’t seem popular. “Jesus may well be asking you to give up something that prevents you from seeing the good in others and building up relationships in this community,” he said.

And when it comes to prayer, the challenge is to deepen our relationship with God. There is nothing God wants more than to be in a relationship with us so we know him as a friend. He suggested having a conversation with God, sharing with him what’s going on in our lives and hearts.

“Maybe this Lent, Jesus is challenging you to grow in your prayer life, to have real conversation with him and to pray and listen,” the bishop said. Some ways to do this are at Mass or a school retreat, places where we can “enter the ‘inner room’ of our hearts and meet God there.”

Bishop Woost said on Ash Wednesday, Jesus was inviting the faithful to accept the challenges Lent offers: to pray, to fast and to give alms. He questioned if we would accept those challenges.

“I am fully convinced that if we do, Jesus will surprise us. God’s grace will surprise us. And in 4- days, we will discover that we are not the same person we were on this Ash Wednesday. God’s grace – Jesus’ presence with us – will affect some kind of change and growth transformation in our lives. If we are willing to accept Jesus’ challenge, then we should be excited about these 40 days of Lent,” he added.

Lent is not a time we should dread, the bishop said. Instead, he said “We should accept the challenges of this season and wait for God to surprise us.”

After Mass, the bishop presented EC’s Pillars of Faith awards to four students and one faculty/staff member. The winners joined him outside on the school lawn to drape the Lenten symbolic purple cloth on a large cross.

A group of student ambassadors led the bishop on a tour of the school and he enjoyed lunch with Pillar of Faith winners and administration members in EC’s Newton Room.

Click here to learn more about Elyria Catholic High School.

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