Excerpt from the Message from His Holiness for Lent 2005:
"Each year, the Lenten Season is set before us as a good opportunity for the intensification of prayer and penance, opening hearts to the docile welcoming of the divine will. During Lent, a spiritual journey is outlined for us that prepares us to relive the Great Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Christ. This is done primarily by listening to the Word of God more devoutly and by practising mortification more generously, thanks to which it is possible to render greater assistance to those in need."
One good way to practice prayer is to pray for our Holy Father's health. May the Angels be with him!
2/25/2005
Lenten Prayer
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1 comment:
My dearest Companion in Christ~
I love your emails! (just had to say that)
You were correct in tying the discipline of Fasting to the tradition
of self-mortification. Those are indeed the origins of all three
Lenten disciplines: praying, fasting, almsgiving. When Jesus prayed,
he "went apart to pray." When he fasted in the desert after Baptism,
he was surviving SOLELY on the Holy Spirit. Gandhi did it, so have
many great spiritual figures.
We are not expected to do precisely what Jesus did, if that's the
issue at question. We pray in all sorts of ways, both private and
public throughout the year. During Lent, however, we challenge
ourselves to take our prayer to the next level-- perhaps that means
going "apart" like the Lord, on a retreat. Perhaps it means increasing
your devotion to the Blessed Sacrament (especially in this Year of the
Eucharist).
For some people, Lent will be a time to BEGIN a prayer life AT ALL,
something they may not already be doing. Wherever you're at, Lent is
the time to take the NEXT step.
Likewise, fasting is a discipline that we're called to take to the
next step. Some poeple fast on every Friday throughout the calendar
year. For them, it wouldn't be sufficient to do the same ol' same ol'
(which is indeed the entire POINT of Lent: conversion, repentance=
"turning back" to God). Their taking it to a whole new level would
look different than it would for the average Joe (or Tom).
The Church provides a minimum definition of what it means to fast and
Abstain: smaller meals, no snacks between meals, etc. Personally I
like to eat NO meals on Good Friday and Ash Wed and the other Fridays
I only eat ONE meal. That's my way of going the next level. Maybe one
day, I will be capable of a fast like the Lord's, though I doubt it.
In any event, you have to determine for yourself what it means to
sacrifice.
Which brings us to the third discipline. Is it sacrifice to give SPARE
change, or to give of your SAVINGS? You have to determine that
yourself. Remember that the Lord looked more favorably on the tuppence
given by the poor old woman than the small tithe of the rich man. She
gave from her total value; he gave what was convenient.
WHY???
Why sacrifice during Lent? At one time, self-mortification was a means
to draw closer to Christ in his Passion. Self-flaggellation, starving
oneself were seen as ways to REALLY give it your gusto. The dangerm
with this (as in ANY devotion suggested by the Church is that we lose
sight of Christ in our zeal and fervor). If you take anything and
don't do it prayerfully, it's a spiritual danger; if you take
flaggellation carelessly it's a mortal danger too!
So we don't look favorably on such demonstrations of Christian piety.
But piety is not out of fashion, and sacrifice is the only means by
which we can truly take up our Cross and follow Him, as we are EVERY
ONE OF US called to do! What does your Cross look like? What sacrifice
wiull arrest your attention, snap you out of it, and back into the
Kingdom of God, which is where we're all supposed to be headed. What
will captivate you, so that your enire being BURNS for Jesus.
He is the Reason for the Season. Lent is the time to focus on what
TRULY maters, what we value, what we NEED vs. what we WANT. Is fasting
does that for you, keep on keeping on. If fasting is ho-hum, find a
more excellent way to serve Him.
Peace in the Lord~
Rejoice!
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