From the Pastor
Matthew 4:17 (CEB) Jesus began to announce, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!”
Preparing the Soul: How Penitence Reveals God's Gifts
Summary: Penitence during Lent serves as a transformative journey, leading us to discover the divine gifts of grace, compassion, and love within us.
Lent is a sacred six-week season to realign our lives with God. It offers an intentional time of reflection, repentance, and renewal as we prepare for Jesus’s death and resurrection.
Our theme this year, Penitence as a Pathway to Discovering the Gifts of God Within Us, emphasizes that penitence is more than sorrow for sin. It is a transformative process, clearing a path to the divine gifts already within us. True repentance is not about dwelling on our failures but preparing our souls for new growth. In humbly acknowledging our brokenness, we make room for God’s wholeness.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5th, with a noon Lenten Service with Communion at St. Augustine. The ashes remind us of our mortality and our need for God’s grace.
Join us for our Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner on March 4th at 5:30 p.m., followed by the burning of last year’s Palm Sunday palms. Historically, Shrove Tuesday was a day to enjoy rich foods before the Lenten fast, giving rise to the tradition of eating pancakes.
May this Lenten season be a time of turning—a journey into discovering God’s gifts within you. As we practice penitence, may we find grace, compassion, and love, leading us into a life of purpose and joy.
May your soul find your gifts within,
Pastor Anny+
The Rev. Dr. Anny Genato+
Rector, St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church
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