Today, Ash Wednesday, is the beginning of the season of Lent. During my mass today I daubed ashes on the foreheads of the faithful and told them to “repent and believe in the Gospel”. The ritual imposition of ashes on the forehead is a symbolic act of humbling oneself, of being sorry for sins committed, and of accepting God’s forgiveness. The cross of ashes on our foreheads is a reminder to us and to those we meet that we belong solely to God.
Lent is a forty-day liturgical season dedicated in a special way to fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Fasting is a symbolic expression of our self-offering to God and of our detachment from all the transitory material things in this world (like food) in order to become open for spiritual values and to see clearly what really counts in life. In a word, fasting means to thirst and hunger for God. Prayer means reflecting on these questions – How’s my relationship with God? With others? How will I grow close to God during these forty days? Is there something I can’t give up which is hurting my relationship with God, with my family and friends? Are my values and priorities in proper order? Almsgiving means getting personally involved with the poor and compassionately helping them alleviate their plight.
As we begin this holy season let us ask the Lord to renew us and give us new hearts filled with love and compassion that we may embrace his will more fully in our lives and that we may respond with compassion to those in need.
Dear Father
I have so many questions, and so few Christians ready to answer them. I am faced with realisations that can no longer be answered with phrase “well you just need to have faith”. The more i seem to hear, the more i see of the church and its dealings, the quicker my faith in the Church and Christianity dies. You seem a wise and learned man, will you help me find an understanding? My email is Stephen.booth6@ntlworld.com
Thank you Father
Tim
Hi Father, I have a question, at which day/s of the Lenten season are we Christians really required to practice fasting and abstinence? There are some who says every Friday of the week until the Good Friday, and some claim it should only be in Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Hello Deuts, according to Canon 1251 of the Code of Canon Law “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” However there are people of certain age range who are excepted from this law. Canon 1252 states that “all persons who have completed their fourteenth year are bound by the law of abstinence; all adults are bound by the law of fast up to the beginning of their sixtieth year.” I hope this answers your question.
Thanks Father, actually I’m quite confused. Do you mean that as Christians we are prescribed (or shall we say “encouraged”) to do abstinence during Fridays throughout the year, but that we are “required” to do fasting and abstinence during Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? Did I get it right?
Yes, Deuts, you’ve got it right. But not only that – we are also enjoined to pray and do acts of charity.
Hi Fr. Stephen,
Thanks for the wonderful reminders of what Lent is. I had been following discussion in a couple of message boards, where there was a huge debate about whether or not Sundays were a part of Lent, with some saying definitely yes, and others saying definitely not, but that the penitential nature of Lent should be emphasised during Masses on Sundays. So one evening, as I was going home from church, I did a little maths in my head and realised that if you counted all the days from Ash Wednesday until Holy Saturday, it numbers 46 days. If you remove all the Sundays of Lent, including Palm Sunday, that leaves you with 40 days exactly.
As far as the “Are Sundays considered part of Lent” argument, who is correct?
Thanks,
Lyn
Hello Lyn, the six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because Sundays always commemorate and celebrate Christ’s glorious resurrection no matter what season.
Thanks for the beautiful explanation of what is Lent all about. Saludo ako sayo! Pero Father di ba during Lent it is more necessary to have confession? Could you please give us a list of mortal and venial sin? Thanks …God bless!
Hello Juvy, please follow this link: http://www.catholicdoors.com/faq/qu06.htm. That’s where you find the answer to your question about mortal and venial sins.
Thank you so much Fr. Stephen, I found it.
father ano po ang tawag ng sunday after the four sundays of lent.
Hi Father! Nice lectures! Thanks! I’m learning so much! Anyway, to help you in the question about the other term for the 5th Sunday of Lent, it is called “Laetare” Sunday (Rejoice) because Holy Week, especially Easter, is very near…
Thank you so much! More Power!
Dave, thanks for answering Julio’s question. Julio, thanks for being here.
Hi Father! Naku, there are some corrections… 4th Sunday of Lent po pala hindi 5th… sorry… thanks po!
Hi, Father, thanks for answering my Sundays question. As far as the other discussion is concerned: I had blogged on Lætare Sunday (Lent IV) sometime back, going as far as quoting the Liber Usualis to explain the origins of why Lent IV is called what it is (after the Introit for Lent IV).
Is there any particular name for Lent V, though? I’ve not remembered hearing one …
Hi Lyn and Julio! After some research, the 5th Sunday of Lent is called “Lazarus” Sunday because of the Gospel. On this Sunday, the Church will cover all its images to prepare for the solemn celebration of Holy Week.
Fr. Stephen, thank you so much for the great lectures you gave us. More power!
Hi Father Stephen,
Are raw eggs considered meat during Lent?
What about beef flavored soup and other meat flavored soup?
Where’s a good website for an English version of the Code of Canon Law?
Thanks in advance,
Juan T. of OZ
“Age. Fac ut gaudeam” et “Audio, video, disco”