Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (Feb.
21, 2007) and lasts until the celebration of the Triduum
which begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. If
one counts the days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, we find a discrepancy
in the traditional 40 days. So how does the Church account for these
40 days of Lent?
Simply put, the season of Lent is determined by the number of penitential
days, taking into account the number of days when fasting and/or abstinence
is either recommended or obligatory before Easter. This includes the
days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday but excludes the Sundays.
While the Church states that the Easter Triduum ends the Lenten observance,
these days are still penitential in character and are counted toward
the 40 days. Historically, the start of the Triduum marked a "paschal
fast", a more intense preparation that ends with the celebration
of the Easter Vigil.
Of course, the number "40" has always had special
spiritual significance regarding preparation. Israel’s
exile in the wilderness was 40 years. On Mount Sinai,
preparing to receive the Ten Commandments, Moses stayed there with the
Lord for 40 days and 40 nights (Ex 34:28). Elijah walked 40 days and
40 nights to the mountain of the Lord, Mount
Horeb (another name for Sinai)
(I Kgs 19:8). Most importantly, Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days
and 40 nights in the desert before he began his public ministry (Mt
4:2).
The absence of fasting on Lenten Sundays does not mean that
we forget about our Lenten observance completely. The liturgy itself
expresses this reality by use of violet, the absence of flowers, the
omission of the Alleluia and Gloria, and the overall tone of the liturgical
texts.
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence.
Catholics between the ages of 18-59 are obliged to abstain from meat
and fast on these days by not eating between meals, consuming only one
full meal a day and two small meals "sufficient to maintain strength".
The two small meals should not equal the amount of food consumed in
the full meal.
Catholics 14 years old and older are obliged to abstain from
meat on the Fridays during Lent. Present law does not include milk or
egg products under the category of meat.
The observance of the laws of fast and abstinence during
Lent is a serious obligation. The individual conscience can decide if
there is proper cause to excuse, however a more serious reason should
be present to excuse from observing the laws of fast and abstinence
on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those whose work or health would be
impaired are excused from fasting and abstaining.
In addition to fasting, prayer and charity, you may want
to take advantage of the many opportunities for worship and enrichment
during this Lenten season:
February
24
Charismatic
Renewal Day at Church of St.
Mary, Willmar
from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
February
25
Rite of Election
and Call to Continuing Conversion at Holy Trinity Cathedral, New Ulm
at 3:00 p.m.
March
11
Annual Bishop
Lucker Lecture at the Hutchinson
Event Center,
Hutchinson, MN
at 7:00 p.m. Presenter: Rev.
J. Bryan Hehir, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, speaking on the
Importance of Charity in the Life of the Church. Free and open to the
public.
March
29
Chrism Mass
at Holy Trinity Cathedral, New Ulm
at 7:00 p.m.
How
to Celebrate Holy Week
The
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Pastoral Practices
has made available a user-friendly pamphlet “How to Celebrate Holy Week.”
A Spanish version is available. Call 1-800-348-2440 to place your order.
Each Area Faith Community or parish will form a core team
to assist with the local preparation and publicity for the mission.
The Redemptorists will conduct training sessions for these teams in
late summer of 2007. Additional information about the missions will
be printed in future issues of The
Prairie Catholic and will also be available on the website at www.dnu.org.
