Consider evangelization as the greatest form of charity this Lent

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

During the beginning of February, I had the opportunity to join with my brother bishops of New Jersey and Pennsylvania for our annual retreat.  It is always encouraging to be with other bishops in a week of prayer and fellowship.  This year’s director for our retreat was Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport who gave us wonderful input for our prayer reminding us of Jesus’ love for us and His desire for us to share that love with those we minister to.

Lent is only a few weeks off, starting with Ash Wednesday, March 5, and the retreat was a great preparation for Lent for me.  Of course, we strive to pray each day, all year long, but retreat offers us a time to focus more on the Lord, our friendship with Him and our response to Him.  Retreats build on the daily base of our relationship with Him, as we strive to live our lives by “praying always” as Jesus told us, keeping our lives always rooted in Him, so that our times each day of prayer and charity build on that foundation.

I remember while I was serving in Rome as a priest, Pope Benedict once gave a great talk to us about Lent and how it relates to our lives all year long. He reminded us that “being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction … Since God has first loved us, love is now no longer a mere ‘command’; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us”.

Yes, Lent is a time for us to renew our encounter with Jesus through prayers, almsgiving and fasting, so that our lives become a response to Him, giving us the horizon of heaven each day.  When we are able to keep this focus and not be distracted, we pray always and it changes everything: how we live our lives as priests, religious, and lay persons; in our marriages, with our families and friends, how we approach our work, how we spend our money, making sure we also use what God has blessed us with to express our gratitude to Him by our charity to our neighbors. The hallmarks of Lent, prayers, almsgiving and fasting, all help us to renew that way of living our lives, our faith.  

Usually in Lent we “give something up” or take on extra works of charity and prayer.  We all might not be able to go away for a retreat, as I was blessed to do, but we can all make Lent a time of retreat for us by turning to Jesus, encountering Him more intentionally during these 40 days, which gives us a better horizon for throughout the year, always giving us the horizon of heaven.  

This Jubilee Year of 2025 proclaimed by Pope Francis is focused on Hope, a Hope that does not disappoint, which is Jesus. Let’s make this Lent a special one for us by turning to Jesus more in prayer, making an effort to go to Mass more often, making a good confession and taking on works of charity.

Sometimes we can reduce “charity” to humanitarian aid. This Lent, we might recall that the greatest work of charity is evangelization. There is no action more beneficial – and therefore more charitable – towards one’s neighbor than to invite them or reintroduce them to Jesus. We all know people who need Jesus in their lives, who need Hope!  Why not exercise charity in this way this Lent, inviting them to pray with us or come to Mass with us.  What better gift could we give someone than what we have experienced in our lives from our friendship with Jesus; what better way to give someone Hope which will not disappoint in their lives.  We all know family members, friends or colleagues who need Jesus, who need Hope.

Just earlier this month, Pope Francis encouraged us all to be “missionaries of hope” who actively participate in the Church’s evangelizing mission through a “communion of prayer and action.  I urge all of you to participate actively in the common evangelizing mission of the Church by your witness of life and prayer, by your sacrifices, and by your generosity,” the Pope shared.

I prayed for you all on my retreat and wanted to share this little reflection with you.  I will be praying for you this Lent particularly.  Know of my love, prayers and gratitude for you, and please remember to pray for me this Lent, too!  God bless you.

Most Reverend James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA
Bishop of Metuchen