February 21-22, 2026
Dear parishioners,
During this season of penance, as you know, we make an earnest effort to make reparation for our sins by intentional works of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. As we do so, we pray for that light by which we can see our sins as Jesus sees them, and by which we come to understand better the truths of our faith.
However, by seeking the grace that heals the wounds of past sins and strengthens us against future temptations, we also have the opportunity this Lent to appreciate all the spiritual weapons at our disposal for our sanctification. One of those spiritual weapons is the intercession of the saints in heaven. They are currently adoring Jesus on his heavenly throne, and they want to obtain for us the graces that will help us turn away from sin. They will everything that Jesus wills.
St. Teresa of Avila, in one of her Soliloquies, helps us to focus on both realities- our sinfulness, and the help of the saints to obtain for us the desire of sharing heaven with them:
O souls that without fear already have fruition of your joy and are always absorbed in praises of my God, happy has been your lot! What great reason you have for being ever engaged in these praises. How my soul envies you, for you are already free from the sorrow such terrible offenses committed against my God cause in these unfortunate times, and from the sorrow of seeing so much ingratitude, and seeing that there is no awareness of the multitude of souls carried away by Satan. O blessed heavenly souls! Help our misery and be our intercessors before the divine mercy that we may be given some of your joy and a share in this clear knowledge you possess.
Give us understanding, my God, of what it is that is given to those who fight valiantly in the dream of this miserable life. Obtain for us, O loving souls, understanding of the joy it gives you to see the eternal character of your fruition, and how it is so delightful to see certainly that it will have no end. Oh, how fortunate we are, my Lord! For we believe in everlasting joy and know the truth well; but with so pronounced a habit of failing to reflect on these truths, they have already become so foreign to our souls that these souls neither know about them nor desire to know about them. O selfish people, greedy for your pleasures and delights; not waiting a short time in order to enjoy them in such abundance, not waiting a year, not waiting a day, not waiting an hour- and perhaps it will take no more than a moment- you lose everything, because of the joy of that misery you see present!
Oh, oh, oh, how little we trust you, Lord! How much greater the riches and treasures You entrusted to us, since after His thirty-three years of great trials and so unbearable and pitiable a death, You have given us Your Son; and so many years before we were born! Even knowing that we wouldn’t repay You, You didn’t want to cease trusting us with such an inestimable treasure, so that it wouldn’t be Your fault, merciful Father, if we fail to acquire what through Him we can obtain from You.
O blessed souls who with this precious price knew so well how to profit and buy an inheritance so delightful and permanent, tell us how you gained such an unending good! Help us, since you are so near the fount; draw water for those here below who are perishing of thirst.
Indeed! The saints are real, and their prayers have a real power to obtain for us the graces we need to turn away from sin, to grow in virtue, to please the Lord, and to obtain eternal life with them in heaven. Don’t forget to ask for their help every day!
Blessings,
Fr. Ammanniti
