Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart. (Joel 2:12-18)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022223.cfm
Whatever we might think that Lent is about, God is interested in just one thing, our hearts. The great preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Triduum begins today. It is not a self-centered question of human will power (as in what will I give up for Lent?), but rather what will bring me closer to love of neighbor. My mom, Norma Torp Boyd, (1927-1996), was born on this day—she would have been 96. Being a nurse, she taught me to care for others “with my whole heart.”
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023
