We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all churches in the whole world, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. (St. Francis of Assisi)
The liturgical season of Lent has its origins in the ancient Church's preparation of the catechumenate for baptism at the Easter Vigil. Since Vatican II and the renewal of the catechumenate, the Church has reemphasized Lent's ancient connection to baptism and new life.
In baptism, we go down into the waters with Christ in order to rise again with Christ, to come out of the water cleansed, re-born, redeemed, changed. We die with Christ in order to live with Christ. These forty day of Lent (We don't count Sundays because Sunday is always a little Easter, a celebration of the resurrection.) are an opportunity each year to live in a more intentional way our baptismal call to conversion and to profoundly experience the possibility of redemption. It is an opportunity to be born again.
Perhaps if we remember that the word Lent means springtime, we can better understand and experience Lent's connection to baptism and new life. Spring is a season of hope and anticipation, the passing of the dreariness of winter. With the first warm day, we throw off our winter coats and walk the campus free and unburdened. By living Lent with baptism in mind, by practicing the three pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we make our way to the springtime and joy of Easter.
Ash Wednesday
Though not a holy day of obligation, most Catholics will make their way to church this day to be marked with a cross of ashes. The ashes remind us of our own mortality and the need for repentance but they also in a profound way illustrate that our conversion is worked out here in the messiness of this world.
The three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
prayer
Prayer at its basic level is the paying attention to the movement of God in our hearts and in our world. It is recognizing the love of God stirring within us the desire to move beyond ourselves to a loving communion with God and others. Lent is an excellent opportunity to recommit yourself to prayer. Here our some ways Holy Trinity can help you pray this Lent:
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Attend daily Mass: We gather for liturgy Monday-Thursday at 12:15pm.
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Busy Person's Retreat-Go on retreat without packing a suitcase! You will meet with a spiritual companion once a week and commit to 15 minutes of daily prayer.
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Join MOCHA for faith-sharing: Every Tuesday at 8:00pm, we pray and reflect upon the upcoming Sunday's readings.
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Reflect upon the Paschal Mystery: The community will pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday at 7:00pm during Lent.
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Use the Little Black Book: The Little Black Book is an excellent resource to help you incorporate prayer into your daily routine. It asks you to find just six minutes of quiet reflection a day and it gives you scripture readings and meditations to help focus your prayer. You can pick one up in the atrium of the John XXIII Campus Center at Holy Trinity.
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Make a retreat: Our undergraduate student retreat is March 19-21.
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Discernment of Spirits with Fr. Phil: Fr. Phil will once again lead the community in reflecting upon Ignatian spirituality every Monday evening at 7:00 pm.
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Taize prayer: Join us March 31st for this unique service of candlelight prayer, meditation, and song.
fasting
Fasting is a spiritual discipline where we traditionally forgo food for a proscribed period of time. We make ourselves hungry so that rather than reaching for food to feed that hunger we allow God to feed us. Fasting is never an end in itself but should always lead us towards God.
What do you normally reach for when you are bored or lonely or distracted from God? It might not be food but something else. This is what you can fast from this Lent.
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only days that adult Catholics (18-60) are obligated to fast and abstain. This means we only eat one full meal and two smaller snacks plus abstain from all meat. Those who are sick, pregnant women, and the elderly are not obligated to fast. Though we are only obligated to abstain from meat during the Fridays of Lent, the Church encourages us to practice this spiritual discipline throughout the year.
Here are some other suggestions for fasting this Lent:
- Skip one meal a day or week and spend that time praying or doing an act of service.
- Fast from one meal a day or week. The money you would have spent on that meal can be given to an organization fighting poverty and hunger like Catholic Relief Service's Operation Rice Bowl.
- Fast from food, using electricity or gas, and/or using water to shower for a day to be in solidarity with those who go without these necessities and to care for God's creation.
almsgiving
The Church has always encouraged us to practice the corporal works of mercy (feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, visiting the sick, sheltering the homeless, and burying the dead) as a way to proclaim God's kingdom of love, justice, and peace. By giving alms, we pay attention to God and our reminded of our dependence on God's goodness. But almsgiving must move beyond the act of writing a check or dropping a dollar bill in the collection basket and lead us to being in relationship with those who are suffering.
Here are some suggestions for almsgiving this Lent:
- Educate yourself about a justice issue and discover ways you can make a difference. The Faith and Action page of our website has excellent resources to help you do this.
- Participate in our Day of Service March 27. We are organizing a number of different service opportunities that day.
- Visit a nursing home or an elderly neighbor. Invite them to share a meal with you.
- Help with the Hunger coalition food pantry at Holy Trinity or some other social service agency
- Contribute something to the weekly offering at Holy Trinity
- Practice forgiveness
- Write an actual letter to a friend or relative.
Lenten on-line resources
Lenten resources from the American bishops
Creighton University: Creighton's On-line Ministries are an excellent source of prayers, reflections, and readings to help you make a meaningful Lent.
American Catholic: St. Anthony Messenger Press provides many resources to help you celebrate the season of Lent.
Busted Halo: They have a relevant and inspiring Fast, Pray, Give Calendar to help you practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Visit it each day for helpful suggestions in how to be renewed this Lent.
