5th Sunday of Lent

by Fr. Michael D. Accinni Reinhardt, MA, Mdiv, MS  |  03/22/2026  |  Pastoral Corner

To know where we are going, we must know where we have been. This is the plight of embracing this Fifth Sunday of Lent, knowing full well we began in the cross marked upon our heads by the ashes that remind us of our human nature and our mortality. Lent causes us to think about the grim realities of our fate, that we are going to spend eternity somewhere. Lent is the reminder of our call to conversion by way of confession and penance.

We continue to be encouraged to pick up our cross, and to be a disciple of Jesus. We just turned the corner at Laetare Sunday, rejoicing at knowing what is yet to come, but realizing though Jesus conquered sin and death, our redemption is a daily choice that can be gained or lost. This Lent has mustered up for us a great work and contemplation in knowing quite well that Jesus comes for the willing. He calls us out of our comfort zones, to remove our pretentiousness, and calculated heart, that fails us. To walk as a spiritually mature Christian working within the context of the higher ground we seek to achieve, and integrity of spirit from which God convicts us to do better, becoming the better version of ourselves. Ultimately Lent is the means for us to focus on spiritual maturity, and to grow in the hope of the resurrection he promises. The hope we have in the resurrection is the greatest gift that informs us of our eternal reward. We must seek Jesus in all things, and he alone shall be glorified. Let's not lose sight of our direction, and dare to answer Christ when he says " will you be my disciple" Blessings, Fr. Michael