Today is the Fifth Sunday of Lent. Lent is a 40 day period of preparation for Easter and affords us with not only an opportunity for sacrifice but also an opportunity for renewal. Webster defines Renewal as “make new again, begin again, and replenish.” As years have gone by in my life, I have come to realize that Lent is not so much a time of repentance as it is a time for renewal. I recognize that I cannot change yesterday, tomorrow is not yet here, but I do have today and what I do with it is in my hands. Lent affords us with the opportunity to examine our Personal and Spiritual lives and make the positive changes needed. In John’s Gospel today, in response to the scribes and the Pharisees question as to the punishment for the woman caught in adultery Jesus simply replied, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” In response the crowd went away one- by- one. Perhaps in our lives, when we are ready to throw that stone, we will remember our own shortcomings and simply walk away.

May you and your family have a Blessed Easter!