Lent 2025 Weekly Reflections
Introduction
Spes Non Confundit (Hope Does Not Disappoint) -Pope Francis
Pope Francis refers to those in prison when he writes, “During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind. I think of prisoners who, deprived of their freedom, daily feel the harshness of detention and its restrictions, lack of affection, and, in more than a few cases, lack of respect for their persons. I propose that in this Jubilee Year, governments undertake initiatives aimed at restoring hope; forms of amnesty or pardon meant to help individuals regain confidence in themselves and society; and programs of reintegration in the community, including a concrete commitment to respect for the law.”
This Lent, the Family of Five Parishes will focus on this message from Pope Francis. He has designated a set of Holy Doors at the Rebibbia Prison on the outskirts of Rome as “a symbol of all the prisons dispersed throughout the world” to deliver a message of hope to prisoners.
Our Lenten Almsgiving theme, Door of Mercy, will center on prison ministries; supporting the Cathedral Prison Ministry, local re-entry programs here in our community, and take a more significant step toward a global prison ministry for La Sagrada Familia in the Dominican Republic (sister parish of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist).
We will also offer Rice Bowls for Catholic Relief Services, which serves millions of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers who face life-threatening levels of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.
In the coming weeks, you will see and hear more presentations about how to financially assist these programs.
Your Servant in Christ,
Deacon Tom
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Week 1: March 9
Lent is a time for all of us to reflect on our lives. I know for me at least, reflecting on my failings of what God calls me to do for the least of my brothers and sisters can be challenging and daunting at times. That is why I believe the Church, in her wisdom, calls us at this time in our Church year to take a step back and revisit what Jesus Christ did and continues to do for us by recalling the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Since my ordination in 2000 as a deacon in the Catholic Church and covenanted with the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist since 2008, my main ministry is to the incarcerated and now to the families of the incarcerated. If you ask me why, I believe that no matter how horrible the crime committed against someone or against society, there is a need to have compassion and care to try and understand what brought them to do what they did. I was a volunteer chaplain at the Milwaukee County Jail for some 23 years. One evening, I began a conversation with a young man who told me about his situation and that he knew he needed to pay for the crime he had committed. What he proceeded to tell me was how remorseful he was for what he had done and asked for forgiveness from the individual and society. He was also remorseful for what he had done to his family and regretted dragging them down the same path. He knew his family would be ridiculed for not seeing the path of destruction he was on. He knew the family would withdraw from the world and hide in disgrace, humiliation, and shame.
Through this experience and God’s grace, “Doing Time Together” became a reality. It has been in existence since 2011 and is still a vital program to assist families of the incarcerated return to what we refer to as a “new normal way of life.” My team members and I listen to families’ anguish and acknowledge the anguish their loved ones have caused to others. Families come to and go from this group for a variety of reasons, but our hope is they move forward, with a sense of some healing within themselves, being able to live a “new normal way of life” to welcome their family member home when released.
Deacon Tom
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Week 1: March 16
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Week 1: March 23
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Week 1: March 30
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Week 1: April 6
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