Staying on Track

"It's hard to keep on the right track".  This was the gist of two conversations I had yesterday with two young men, graduates of Central Catholic.  They are college students and spoke with me separately of their growing awareness of what really matters in life, their relationship with Jesus and desire to maintain the morals and values instilled in them by their families Central Catholic.  They realize now the treasure that they had taken for granted until they saw how people live who did not have that kind of upbringing, and they see the need for the support of family and a community of like-minded friends to help them "stay the course."  It was a rare, gratifying treat to hear them speak so sincerely at this level..
Among other things, it made me think of these final two weeks of Lent looming before us.  The first Sunday of the Passion tomorrow, for many in the Northeast, will take a back seat to the celebration and revelry surrounding St. Patrick's Day parades, and socials.  Lent will suffer in the shadow of these festivities, held under the auspices of the man who devoted his life to teaching about Jesus and leading unbelievers to baptism and a life focused on him.  We're not sure of how much green he wore, but the "wearin' of the green" will certainly upstage the purple covering the statues in our churches.  "It's only for a day...or two"...we say, but none the less, it is a diversion.  Indeed it is hard to stay on track when even our "Catholic Culture" swerves off the road. Perhaps our prayer today will help us keep a balance through the weekend, where we can give rightful acknowledgement of both the disciple and the Lord he served.
Bro. Rene