Jesus' life shows how essential prayer is, Archbishop Broglio says in Lenten homily

BETHESDA, Md. (OSV News) -- Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. military archdiocese, reminded the congregation at an Ash Wednesday Mass of the elements of "our blessed journey" of Lent: "prayer, self-denial and charity."

"Judging from Jesus' own life, prayer is something we ought to do often, especially at key moments of our lives," he said in his homily during Mass March 5 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, just outside Washington.

"How should we pray? What does it look like? We have to pray with faith," he said. "According to Jesus' model, we have to pray for forgiveness. The efficacy of prayer seems to depend on the reconciliation of differences. That is essential in our time. Society is so divided that we have forgotten even those with whom we disagree are created in the image and likeness of God."

"The community of humanity must always be remembered and cherished," he continued. "It is the only path to renewal, reconciliation and the climate in which all of us as pilgrims can walk forward on the journey of life."

Celebrating the Mass at Walter Reed was in keeping with Archbishop Broglio's annual custom on the first day of Lent, according to a March 6 news release from the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. Two Navy chaplains, Fathers Jason C. Burchell and Krzysztof Kuczynski, were concelebrants.

Nearly 150 U.S. military personnel, patients, hospital staff and others gathered in Memorial Auditorium for the noon Mass, which took place soon after Archbishop Broglio brought ashes and holy Communion to bedridden patients in their rooms.

In his homily, Archbishop Broglio called on the faithful to stay persistent in their Lenten penitential observances over the 40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and to seek spiritual renewal during this Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church, a time of forgiveness and reconciliation.

"This annual retreat of the whole church calls us to pray with persistence," he said. "We should not give up too easily. Look at the example of the saints. Augustine says that God sometimes delays in giving us what we want because he wants our hearts to expand. We have the example of his saintly mother Monica, who never doubted that her son's heart could be renewed."

Archbishop Broglio, who is also president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, implored those gathered to practice charity "in our words, our actions, and approach." He encouraged almsgiving to Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. church's overseas relief and development agency, as well as other Catholic service organizations.