カトリック大田原教会
TOPICS 
A few words this month
Fr. Sawano
Pope Leo XIV
speaks to Francis of Assisi with these words:
“Eight hundred
years ago, you went to meet Sister, Death as a man of peace.”
Many people think
of death as something to avoid, something to fear. During Lent especially, some
try to repent out of fear, hoping to escape eternal death. But this is not the
heart of the Gospel.
Christ gave His
own life to bring us salvation — the love and forgiveness of God our Father.
The “forgiveness” we receive does not mean permission to sin. It is not an
excuse that says, “It is all right to do wrong.” Rather, it is true pardon —
the lifting away of our punishment through God’s mercy.
For this reason,
the repentance asked of us during Lent is written in Japanese as “回心,” which means “to turn our hearts around.” It is
not repentance based on fear of death. It is a joyful turning of our hearts
back toward God.
When we turn
toward God and begin to walk with Him, peace and resurrection draw near.
St. Francis
overcame fear and entered into the very midst of the war between the Crusaders
and the Muslim world to speak of peace. It was he who called death “Sister.” He
was not ruled by fear, but by trust in God.
Let us also cast
aside all fear. Together with St. Francis, let us continue our Lenten journey
with joy, moving toward resurrection and peace.
Seika Kindergarten Home Page
The adorable children are featured. Let us
continue to support and observe their well-beings.
URL http://www.catholic-gakuen.ed.jp/seika/
The kindergarten is looking for little boys and
girls to enter.
If you know someone nearby, please kindly inform us of it.
☆☆☆ CATHOLIC OTAWARA CHURCH ☆☆☆
1-5-10 Otawara-shi,
Chuo 〒324-0056
TEL.0287-24-0603 FAX.0287-47-6949 (Church),
★★★ TEL．0287-22-3224 (Seika Kindergarten) ★★★