LET US PRAY EACH DAY OF LENT FOR THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE.

WE ALSO PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING DUE TO THE FLOODING IN AUSTRALIA.

This week is a special time in the life of our church. We celebrated Shrove Tuesday by sharing pancakes which the children loved and so did some adults. On Ash Wednesday we distributed ashes in the sign of the cross on everyone's foreheads. It was such a privilege for me to be able to give the ashes to the children and adults in our community. These celebrations start the time of Lent leading up to Easter. Lent lasts for 40 days and is a time of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. The following is an explanation.

Wednesday marked the beginning of the Church's season of Lent. The marking of the ashes on our foreheads on this day is a public expression of our faith and humility. It is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through prayer we come closer to God so that we are better able to realise the promises made for us at our baptism, to live justly as Jesus teaches us. Fasting joins us in solidarity with people experiencing poverty who often have no choice but to go without basic human needs. Sharing what we have, or "almsgiving is a sign of our commitment to justice and our thanks for all that God has given us. Lent comes from Lencten which means 'spring'.

May our Lent this year bring everyone peace as we offer our prayers to those in our global community in need.