As this issue of Northeast Ohio Catholic arrives in your mailbox, we are in the midst of the holy season of Lent, a time of reflection, repentance and redemption. As your bishop, I have the privilege of meeting many of you throughout the diocese, and I am so encouraged when you share with me your experiences of the power of God’s love, mercy and forgiveness. Your stories of God’s abiding presence, grace and providence in your lives reflect the substance and foundation of our Catholic faith. Every story I hear inspires and strengthens me. How great is our God! And the power of his forgiveness is beyond measure.

Lent is a wonderful time to reflect on our spiritual life and work to deepen our relationship with Jesus and one another. It is a time to ponder what we might give up so that we can give more and what extra steps we might take in service to others through prayer and personal contributions. We think about our sins and how we can begin to eliminate those most habitual vices from our lives, about confessing our moral failures in the sacrament of reconciliation, about repenting, receiving God’s grace and doing penance to help us get back on track.

When we consider all of this, do we approach this season of Lent with anxiety, gloom or guilt? If so, I’d like to suggest considering this special time of contemplation as the privilege that it is, an invitation to reflect upon God’s incredible love and mercy. Lent should be a springtime of joy as we come to know God’s desire to always welcome us back.

Forgiveness is the reason Jesus came into this world. He came to take upon himself — as the innocent Lamb of God — the sins of all humanity. How dark and heavy a burden our Lord willingly carried for us. As written in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” How remarkable is it that God sent The Word — his son — to us at all? It is actually amazing that God loves us that much, isn’t it? He sent Jesus to take on human form, to reveal his glory, grace and truth and to become our redeemer.

As Catholics, we understand that there is no sin so great that God cannot forgive it nor that his grace cannot overcome. Our sins can never overpower the strength of God’s forgiveness. And that is why Lent is so important; it provides a source for all our hope, which is in Christ Jesus. Lent gives us the opportunity to join our own efforts at doing penance, making reparation, praying and fasting, to the sacrifice of Jesus. It offers us the chance to be reconciled with God through confessing our sins with a sincere heart and resolving to do better. Let us find ways to turn this opportunity into a positive force in our lives. To understand the power God’s forgiveness can make in a person’s life, I encourage you to read our cover story on page 6 and watch the accompanying video.

When Jesus began his ministry in Galilee after John the Baptist’s arrest, his words were clear and echoed what John said: “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17, Mk 1:15). He didn’t say this to shame us, but to lead us to the abundant life he came to bring. Sin is a burden for us. Jesus came to lift it from us.

Yes, Jesus loves us as we are. But he also loves us so much that he does not want us to stay as we are. He provides us with the way of life that leads us to heaven itself.

At Easter, we will receive many people into our Church through baptism and welcome many others into full communion with us through the Easter sacraments of Eucharist and confirmation. For those of us who are already members of the Church, we will renew our baptismal promises when we promised to reject sin, the lure of evil, Satan, and all his empty works and embrace our faith in God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

May we renew our baptismal promises with clean hearts that are forgiven and ready to recommit ourselves to follow Jesus as the beloved sons and daughters of God.