Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last week, our Fairfield Life Teen high school youth ministry had a pre-Lent talk with Fr. Chris Ford, the pastor of Notre Dame Parish in Easton (n.b. “Fairfield Life Teen” is our collaborative Catholic youth ministry effort shared by the parishes of Fairfield and Easton). I wanted to share a thought from Fr. Ford’s talk that has stayed with me in a particular way. Reflecting on the Gospel we hear this weekend, Fr. Ford pointed out that the temptations our Lord experienced in the desert are predicated on one overarching doubt: “if you are the Son of God.” In other words, the devil questions the very identity of Jesus. This question of identity is at the heart of all temptations we experience, too. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent’s question to Eve was one that planted a seed of doubt about her relationship with God. “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” From the start, the devil has tried to make us believe that God is somehow holding out on us, that one sin or another will fill the gap where God wouldn’t, or worse, that for one reason or another, we are not loved by God.

In the face of these temptations, the Church holds out a different response which we heard as ashes were imposed on Wednesday. “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The devil’s temptation is to uncertainty, for it is when we are unstable and off balance that we are most prone to fall. Jesus is never uncertain in His response to the temptations of the evil one. Rather, He, and the Church, give us a certainty. We will return to dust, and in our finitude, we are called to place all our trust, all our hope, all our faith in His hands. On Ash Wednesday, the prayer at the beginning of Mass reminded us that Lent is a campaign, not a one-time event. These forty days of Lent are an opportunity to confront the root of temptation, namely, that we so often forget our true identity as sons and daughters of a heavenly Father who knows and loves us, and that we so often grasp at solutions that further distort that relationship. May our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this season help us to be confident in the truth of who we are in God’s eyes. Thank you, Fr. Ford, for this point of reflection!

If you are looking for some helpful practices for the Lenten season, consider some of the following:

• Take advantage of our diocesan partnership with Hallow, the #1 prayer app! Go to hallow.com/parish to sign up and register with St. Pius X.

• Sign up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration in our chapel once a week, especially hours that don’t have anyone signed up (but even if there’s already someone scheduled, you’re welcome!) st-pius.org/adore365.

• Volunteer for our sandwich making for those who are most in need. We’ll make sandwiches March 8, 9, and 19, as well as April 5, 6, and 16. In addition, we have a chance to help the Missionaries of Charity (St. Teresa of Kolkata’s order!) prepare and distribute meals in Bridgeport on March 16. Contact Cathy Coyle at ccoyle@st-pius.org for more information.

• If you are a high school student, come on Sunday evenings for our high school youth ministry activities. And if you’re a middle school student, join us Wednesday evenings for our middle school youth ministry activities. Visit fairfieldlt.com or contact our youth minister Bill Staley at bill.staley@setoncollaborative.org

Peace,

Fr. Sam