BISHOP’S LENT APPEAL 2009

Every year Lent provides us with a time for looking at our lives and our lifestyles in the light of the love of God shown to us in the Cross of Christ. There the arms spread wide and pinioned to the Cross show the embrace of the Divine Compassion, a love which comes down to the lowest part of our need. The spiritual stripping down, which has always been part of Lenten discipline, is something inseparable from the way in which our lives are
lived; indeed if it is not related to the everyday world and its needs and the political and economic situations in which we find ourselves then it is a false and unreal spirituality. So it is important that we see the current economic hard times as a challenge to our way of life under God. Christians are always called to turn to prayer in the places in which they find themselves; among their families, their local community, and the world of which
we are part, with all its mess and conflict, and with all its potential for glory.

The tough economic times we are facing can therefore give us fresh perspectives on the many blessings that God has freely given us. So during Lent 2009, I would like to encourage you to take time to think about those many people around the world who do not even have the basic necessities of life – and to reflect on what it means to live thankfully in today’s world.

By working together and each playing our part, we can make a real difference to people who face hardships beyond anything we could imagine. Please make Lent count this year, through the money you give, the prayers you offer and the actions you take. And remember in particular what I have asked the Diocese to support this Lent – the work of Thandanani in South Africa, which helps vulnerable children, including those affected by
HIV.

With my prayers and every blessing

+ Geoffrey Gibraltar

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