The Valley Catholic March 21, 2017 | Page 4

Easter Season performances of the Lamb of God
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coMMuNity
March 21 , 2017 | The Valley Catholic

Lent as the Means , not the End

By Marie Galetto
Marketing & Grants program Manager
Lent can sometimes feel a bit like a marathon . We ’ ve reached the halfway point and the end is in sight ! The Easter celebration acts as the finish line for our Lenten sacrifices – the time when we can finally indulge in Easter candy and revert back to all our pre-Lent habits . I ’ d like to challenge us to view our Lenten sacrifices in a different light ; not as a temporary denial , but as a chance to build a foundation for the people we want to become .
Lent gets a bad rap as far as Catholic traditions go . Christmas and Easter are , of course , the joyous celebrations complete with decadent meals , candy , and presents . Advent , too , is a season of joy with beautiful decorations a nd Christmas songs at Mass . Lent is the season of somber reflection and sacrifice in preparation for our solemn commemoration of the Death and
Resurrection of our Lord . Especially as a kid , it was pretty hard to get excited about Lent . I have to give up my favorite treat or TV show ? Why ? What ’ s the point ?
I think these are fair questions . Without the right mindset , abstaining
Lent may be halfway over , but it ’ s never too late to start working on good habits .
from chocolate for 40 days is just a test of our personal willpower , not necessarily a useful spiritual exercise . Now that we ’ re in the middle of Lent , I want to invite you to think about what you chose to give up this year , regardless of how successful you ’ ve been with it . Now I ’ d like you to think about why you chose that .
Did you give up chocolate during
Lent in order to experience what it ’ s like to go without something ? This can be a very powerful exercise in remembering to appreciate all the gifts that we , too often , take for granted . But if the goal is to be more grateful for what we have and remember those

LENT

prepare the way of the lord
in need more often , shouldn ’ t we try to extend that mindfulness beyond Easter ? Why not give up chocolate for 40 days and commit to volunteering once a month for the rest of the year ?
Why did you decide to cut out your daily or weekly latte at your favorite coffee shop ? Was it because you ’ d like to spend less on unnecessary items ? What if you were to take those same
five dollars a week , save them up for a year , and donate them to your parish endowment ? That would be a $ 260 gift that would benefit your parish forever !
My point is this – let ’ s use Lent as an opportunity to build a foundation for new , positive habits . Lent may be halfway over , but it ’ s never too late to start working on good habits . We don ’ t have to wait for New Year ’ s Day or Ash Wednesday to start forming habits that bring us closer to God . Let ’ s think about who we want to be – as Catholics , as family members , as global citizens – and take small , intentional steps in the right direction . The hardest part of the journey is usually the first step . Make a commitment today to take that first step , and I bet you ’ ll be surprised at how far you ’ ll go .
For more information regarding the Catholic Coomunity Foundation of Santa Clara County , please visit , cfoscc . org .
Easter Season performances of the Lamb of God
He is Risen ! So proclaim Christians throughout the world each Easter Season as we celebrate the hope that comes from the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . So also proclaim the words and music of Rob Gardner ’ s oratorio entitled , Lamb of God , which will be performed at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph in downtown San Jose on the evenings of April 22 and 23 at 7:30 p . m . by a choir and orchestra composed of members of local Catholic parishes and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ( LDS ). This joint effort to celebrate in words and music the final days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ , His Atonement and Resurrection will also serve as a benefit for the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Programs . The director , Alan Chipman describes Lamb of God as , “ sacred music with the capacity to change hearts .”
The ecumenical performance is meant to lift up and expand hearts as well as to raise awareness and donations for Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Programs .
Refugees continue to resettle in San Jose and surrounding communities . Catholic Charities provides support services geared towards not only resettlement , but self-sufficiency through language , employment , and community assimilation services . In a recently released statement , Bishop McGrath explains , “ San Jose and the greater Bay Area have historically welcomed various waves of refugees , and the Church has been a willing partner in many of these efforts … We recommit ourselves to this form of living out the Gospel , the teaching of the Lord Jesus to welcome the stranger , for in doing so , we welcome the Lord Himself .”
The Lamb of God was written and composed in 2009 by Rob Gardner for choir , orchestra , soloists and narrators . The following year , in 2010 , it was performed in Oakland in collaboration with The Diocese of Oakland , LDS community , and the American Red Cross to raise awareness of the need for blood donations and to promote the annual Interfaith Blood Drives scheduled for July of each year . Since then it has been performed at Saint Mary ’ s in San Francisco , Saint Mary ’ s in Vacaville , The LDS Oakland Temple Hill , as well as the Mission Santa Clara .
The admission is free with a ticket , see details at LambofGodEaster . com .