Most of the Catholics I know and the Priests I hear preach as well as my non-Catholic friends agree that the Lents they knew as kids-and still many as adults- were the antithesis of joyous.
Both on Ash Wednesday and last night at the Vigil Mass for the 1st Sunday of Lent, the same priest spoke about this spiritual error.
He did not call it an error, he was much subtler and gentler but I have been thinking about the 2 homilies I have heard preached by Fr.
Nathan and have decided that it is, in fact, an error.
Not, of course, a sin...
nothing that obvious...
tangible.
But in its way, I think the error is as serious as sin.
In these days of Lent, the Gospel readings in the Christian Liturgy admonish us to fast, "but not like the hypocrites," to give alms, "but not like the hypocrites" and to pray but in our "inner rooms.
" Very familiar readings to me as I enter into my16th year as a Christian Catholic...
but after hearing this same priest twice discuss the origins of Lent in the early church, so very different from its current incarnation, the changes that took place once most of us were baptized Christians and then to emphasize the Pre-Vatican and miserable experience of Lent, I realize that Lent has become something radically different-for me.
In my early years, the fasting came easily...
grace, I am sure and the alms...
also easy- I have been blessed financially-the work I have done has been and continues to be blessed.
But now,looking back on the last 15 years, I know that I missed the most important reality of Lent...
This God...
Wisdom...
who renews all things while herself perduring...
chose to empty Himself [and yes the use of both genders is intentional] to take the form of a slave.
Being born in the likeness of man, He was known to be of human estate, obediently accepting death, even death on a cross!' During those 40 days in the desert, Jesus was tempted...
He chose to be tempted so that when we fall, His hand is there to help me out if we just reach out to grabHim.
He has been here...
in this place.
No matter what we are experiencing right now, right here, today, He gets it.
Exactly how these 40 days will pass for me, I don't know, so I'm unable to categorize and list behaviors and books to be read, always the safe and comfortable behaviors I've engaged in before.
But now, I realize, too safe and too comfortable.
I wish you a Joyous Lent.
Both on Ash Wednesday and last night at the Vigil Mass for the 1st Sunday of Lent, the same priest spoke about this spiritual error.
He did not call it an error, he was much subtler and gentler but I have been thinking about the 2 homilies I have heard preached by Fr.
Nathan and have decided that it is, in fact, an error.
Not, of course, a sin...
nothing that obvious...
tangible.
But in its way, I think the error is as serious as sin.
In these days of Lent, the Gospel readings in the Christian Liturgy admonish us to fast, "but not like the hypocrites," to give alms, "but not like the hypocrites" and to pray but in our "inner rooms.
" Very familiar readings to me as I enter into my16th year as a Christian Catholic...
but after hearing this same priest twice discuss the origins of Lent in the early church, so very different from its current incarnation, the changes that took place once most of us were baptized Christians and then to emphasize the Pre-Vatican and miserable experience of Lent, I realize that Lent has become something radically different-for me.
In my early years, the fasting came easily...
grace, I am sure and the alms...
also easy- I have been blessed financially-the work I have done has been and continues to be blessed.
But now,looking back on the last 15 years, I know that I missed the most important reality of Lent...
This God...
Wisdom...
who renews all things while herself perduring...
chose to empty Himself [and yes the use of both genders is intentional] to take the form of a slave.
Being born in the likeness of man, He was known to be of human estate, obediently accepting death, even death on a cross!' During those 40 days in the desert, Jesus was tempted...
He chose to be tempted so that when we fall, His hand is there to help me out if we just reach out to grabHim.
He has been here...
in this place.
No matter what we are experiencing right now, right here, today, He gets it.
Exactly how these 40 days will pass for me, I don't know, so I'm unable to categorize and list behaviors and books to be read, always the safe and comfortable behaviors I've engaged in before.
But now, I realize, too safe and too comfortable.
I wish you a Joyous Lent.