The meaning of Lent
Come away with me momentarily on a journey as we contemplate the upcoming season of Lent, commencing on Feb. 18 this year on the liturgical calendar, namely, Ash Wednesday.
The ashes we receive on our foreheads are a mark of our repentance and reminder of our mortality in this penitential service on Ash Wednesday, remembering we “are dust and to dust we shall return.”
Imitating the sacrifices of our Lord’s journey into the desert for 40 days — Lent is a time of penitence and reflection of our lives — with prayer and fasting.
The liturgical year continues with the triduum of Holy (Maundy) Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, culminating with the holiest day of the year — Easter — the resurrection of our lord.
Moving onward and upward on our journey, albeit with its trials and temptations, with our focus on the Cross — may we continue to have faith and trust in God’s abiding love.
Jaqueline L. Quigley
Allentown
Trump’s lawsuit has ironic twist
It is ironic that President Trump has initiated a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, i.e., part of the U.S. government, seeking $10 billion as compensation for the unauthorized release of Trump organization tax returns, which in part reveal that he paid a total of $750 in federal taxes for the calendar years 2016 and 2017. There is also a record that he paid no federal taxes for 10 of the 15 years before that. So if he wins in his lawsuit, the U.S. taxpayers, i.e., you and I, will be paying him.
James M. McMahan
Upper Nazareth Township
Nonparticipation is a tragedy for democracy
In 2024, 77 million voters cast their ballots in support of Donald Trump, 75 million did so for Kamala Harris and 2.8 million voters cast their ballot for “various” others. Very tragically, approximately 90 million age-eligible Americans decided not to vote. A variety of reasons to not vote have been suggested for this outcome including election disenfranchisement and engineering, such as gerrymandering. The voters should choose their representatives, not the reverse. In an engineered and designed autocracy, fewer citizens select their leaders. When people feel they are not being heard, they simply don’t participate. We are at our very best in these United States when as many eligible citizens as possible are encouraged and enabled to participate in decision-making. Our schools should teach necessary critical thinking skills so citizens would be able to properly research the issues and candidates running for office. Should this be the case, citizens would know their voice is being heard through the acknowledgment of their arguments and the proper counting of their votes. The development of trust is a necessary component. Anything less leads to discouragement and withdrawal. By doing the right thing, we thus earn the strongest possible democracy.
Robert Ockenfuss
Perkasie
American shouldn’t fight Americans
It’s amazing how one person can turn American citizens against one another. Americans killing Americans, what has happened to us? What did all the World War II soldiers risk their lives for? Certainly not this. I can`t even imagine what they would think today if they could see what has happened to our country. How can our politicians just sit back and let this happen? We don`t work for them, they work for us, I think somehow they got that confused. This is the world we live in now.
Barry Buchecker
North Whitehall Township
Congress needs to work for the people
It’s time for our Congress to start working for the people, not Donald Trump. While I’m for closed borders, the Department of Homeland Security is out of control. This is not how we act in America. I’m also glad there was a video of the latest incident. This one they cannot lie their way out of. I’m asking our representatives to stand up for our First, Second and Fourth Amendment rights and speak out on these unbelievable things going on. Remember Trump will not be here forever, and all will be judged. Let’s get working on tabletop things like health care and the cost of living.
John Antrim
Upper Milford Township
Replacing lead pipes would help save water
I recently received an email in which the Lehigh County Authority is asking its customers to conserve water — always a good idea. However, for the thousands of us who have lead service lines, the authority recommends running the water for three to five minutes before using it. That’s thousands of gallons of water wasted every day. A win-win would be for the authority to speed up service line replacement, especially in households with children. Healthier people and less water waste.
Alan Canner
Allentown
Renee Good was not a terrorist
Saying Renee Good was a domestic terrorist is exactly like saying Jan. 6, 2021, was a day of love, which is how President Trump describes it. Abraham Lincoln is often attributed with saying “you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
David R. Peters
Bethlehem
ICE’s actions in Minnesota are unacceptable
I am sad for our country, sad for Minnesotans and very sad for Alex Pretti’s family. And I am angry. The way agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol are conducting themselves is totally unacceptable. Americans should not be afraid to leave their homes or leave without “their papers.” The Founding Fathers gave us the Bill of Rights to guard against this kind of tyranny, to guard against the British soldiers who were conducting themselves the way these agencies are lawlessly behaving. This has to stop. If you agree, please call your senators and representatives and let them know the American people will not take this without fighting back. The midterms are right around the corner.
Rosalyn Metzger
Hanover Township, Northampton County
The Morning Call publishes letters from readers online and in print several times a week. Submit a letter to the editor at letters@mcall.com. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author(s), and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication.
https://www.mcall.com/2026/02/08/letters-as-we-prepare-for-lent-considering-its-true-meaning/
