Pastor's Message - February 15, 2026
My dear friends in Christ,
40 Days of Lent: Discovering the Quietness of the Desert
Finally, it rained on Tuesday and Wednesday! After more than a month without rain, we were blessed with it once again.
As you know, I love rain. I always look forward to it—the sound of it, the way it soothes the soul. Rain brings a sense of peace and calm; it refreshes and restores. That is why the Fathers of the Church often remind us that rain is a sign of God’s faithfulness and blessing.
Yet we also know that the rain does not last forever. Eventually, it stops, and we find ourselves once again facing moments of dryness and emptiness. Even our spirits can feel parched—especially in times of challenge, pain, struggle, and wandering. In those moments, it can feel as though we are in a desert: dry, helpless, and empty. We may even begin to wonder if God has abandoned us. But Scripture reassures us otherwise. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promises us: “I will not forsake you.”
So what, then, is this desert experience to which we are all invited?
For me, the long weeks without rain created a sense of anticipation—a quiet excitement for God’s grace to break through. It led me to deeper prayer and preparation, so that when the rain finally came, I could receive it with gratitude and joy. This has always been true in my own faith journey, especially during my visits to the Holy Land. In the desert, where there is helplessness, doubt, and challenge, God offers abundance. The real question for us is this: How did we spend our time during moments of challenge? Did we take time to listen to God?
This coming Wednesday, we begin the holy season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Our theme this year is “40 Days of Lent: Discovering the Quietness of the Desert.”
During Lent, the Church invites us into a desert experience—a time to step away from noise and distraction and spend intentional moments with God. It is a providential opportunity to practice spiritual detachment, to let go of what weighs us down, and to open our hearts more fully to God, who is the true goal of our lives. These past months have reminded me how important it is to empty ourselves, to embrace the quietness of the desert, so that we may hear God’s gentle whisper in our hearts. This journey is not always easy. There will be struggle and doubt along the way—but in the end, there is joy, meaning, and new life.
I have been blessed to visit the Holy Land many times, walking the sacred places of Scripture and experiencing the desert firsthand. It is always a powerful and life-giving experience. At this time, however, we are mindful of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which makes travel there difficult and concerning.
Still, we do not need to travel to the Holy Land to experience the desert. Each of us can create this sacred space when we leave our comfortable routines and enter into a place of emptiness and need. In that barren and quiet landscape—cut off from the distractions of everyday life—we encounter God in a profound way. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we journey into the desert just as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus did, and there we discover a deeper intimacy with God. This movement toward God is truly what Lent is all about.
One important aspect of Lent is its emphasis on almsgiving or charity. What is our Christian attitude toward this? St. Paul reminds us that to be truly happy, one must love.
So we must ask ourselves: In what concrete ways have I acted in love? In our Christian understanding, love is not passive—it is active. Love is work.
As a reminder, our Ash Wednesday Mass schedule is as follows:
7:30 AM
9:00 AM (with the school children)
12:00 noon
4:30 PM (with the Faith Formation children)
6:00 PM (Spanish)
7:45 PM
I am also very excited about our Stations of the Cross with Taizé Music, held every Friday during Lent at 7:00 PM. It is a powerful and contemporary way to enter into the Passion of our Lord.
I truly look forward to journeying with you throughout this sacred season of Lent.
Thank you, and may God bless you abundantly.
Always,
Fr. Geoffrey
