During his homily at the 9 a.m. Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 18, , Father Alex Zenthoefer told those present, including St. Benedict Cathedral students, “This entire season of Lent is a season in which God says to us, over and over and over again, you are worth suffering for. You are worth suffering for. I will send my son to suffer for you, so that you will know that you are loved.
“And in this season, we have the opportunity to say to God, you are worth suffering for,” he continued. “Because of what you’ve done for me, because of your love for me, and because of how much I love you, you’re worth suffering for.
“So whatever Lenten practice you do, whether it’s giving up something or taking on something, it doesn’t matter because at the end of Lent it’s not a matter of being successful in our Lenten penance, it’s a matter of growing in love of the one that were suffering for.”
Lent concludes with the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on the evening of April 2, Holy Thursday. Easter Sunday is April 5.