Christine Viewpoint

by Margaret Ward, Lent lunch organiser

WE ARE here again at the beginning of Lent. Once again we have the opportunity to re-think where we stand in our lives, temporal and spiritual.

Lent is a great gift from God, through the Church, a time for reflection, contrition and generosity.

We are urged to look at ourselves and search for ways to grow closer to Christ and our neighbour during these 40 days.

Jesus took 40 days away from his ordinary life to prepare for his mission of bringing the good news to the people of his time. We too have 40 days to grow closer to him through our prayer, penance and alms giving.

Once again this year we will be holding Lent lunches at the Salvation Army Hall for everyone who wishes to attend. The lunch is simple, soup, a roll and some cheese, but the company and fellowship is very uplifting. We serve from noon until 1pm every Friday through Lent except Good Friday.

We offer these lunches in order to stand alongside our brothers and sisters who are in need. The donations given are sent to Christian Aid for them to help those in most need in developing countries. In this way we share their suffering and help as best we can.

We invite you to come along and share this fellowship with us and to offer what we can to help those in need, in this way our Lent can be a beautiful gift to our Father in Heaven.