Priest Letter

February letter

Fr Andrew writes:

Dear Friends,
Once again I sit staring at a blank page on the screen of my PC. It’s time to write the Magazine article. (Past time actually!) The difficulty is, as always, trying to say something new about the age-old story so familiar to us. Not to write something new but, as the Ordinal puts it, ‘to proclaim it afresh.’ A while before Christmas, I along with many other clergy were being faced with the same dilemma about a Christmas article (and indeed Christmas sermons). Whilst musing about this perennial difficulty, a member of the congregation said “What about Jesus, ever thought of mentioning him?” (Mind you that same person has promised to write some magazine articles – perhaps they are later in this issue?!!) He has a point thought. A very important one. It is all too easy, in the effort to make thing relevant to miss the focus and that focus must always be Jesus. Those in the Evangelical tradition often use a catch-phrase ‘WWJD’ – what would Jesus do? This is very unsatisfactory in many ways but in this context has certain relevance. We must always be looking to Jesus and be asking ourselves how his life, his teaching, his very person, relates to our everyday situation. This Magazine will take us into the Season of Lent. Before thinking about how we might spend our time and energy in this holy season, it is important to look at the origins and indeed to see how Jesus fits into the picture.
The origin of the season of Lent lies not in any conscious reenactment of our Lord’s time in the wilderness, but in our rigorous preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ in Holy Week and at Easter. The observance of Lent was at first undertaken by the baptismal candidates, for whom it was the final part of their preparation before initiation into the Church in the Easter liturgy, and by those who had been excommunicated for grave and public sin and would be readmitted to the Church’s sacramental life in time for Easter after a period of penance. It was not long before the Church realized the benefit to all Christians of joining these particular categories of people in a season of preparation market by penitence expressed in prayer and fasting. It is this sense of preparation, and so of eager expectation with Good Friday and Easter Day always in view, that should characterize the season of Lent.
The popular idea of giving things up’ in Lent, however inadequately it is often understood, has its liturgical expression in the stark simplicity of Lenten worship. In part this is to express a spirit of penitence. But it is also in order to provide striking contrast with the joyful celebration of Easter. This ‘giving up’ traditionally includes the omission of the Gloria in Excelsis at the Eucharist, the absence of flowers from the church, the restrained use of the organ.

The 40 days of Lent, which precedes Easter is based on two Biblical accounts: the 40 years of wilderness wandering by the Israelites and our Lord's 40 days in the wilderness at which point He was tempted by Satan. This period, freely entered into, was Jesus’ preparation for his earthly ministry.
Each year the Church observes Lent where we, like Israel and our Lord, are tested. We participate in abstinence, times of fasting, confession and acts of mercy to strengthen our faith and devotional disciplines. The goal of every Christian is to leave Lent a stronger and more vital person of faith than when we entered.
The Catechism of the Church states, "The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies and pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works)." (CCC 1438)
The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The key to renewed appropriation of these practices is to see their link to baptismal renewal.

Prayer: More time given to prayer during Lent should draw us closer to the Lord. We might pray especially for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully. We might pray for the elect who will be baptized at Easter and support their conversion journey by our prayer. We might pray for all those who will celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with us during Lent that they will be truly renewed in their baptismal commitment.

Fasting: Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II called us to renew the observance of the ancient paschal fast: "...let the paschal fast be kept sacred. Let it be celebrated everywhere on Good Friday and, where possible, prolonged throughout Holy Saturday, so that the joys of the Sunday of the Resurrection may be attained with uplifted and clear mind" (Liturgy, # 110).
Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. The first reading on the Friday after Ash Wednesday points out another important dimension of fasting. The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God. "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).
Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Thus fasting, too, is linked to living out our baptismal promises. By our Baptism, we are charged with the responsibility of showing Christ's love to the world, especially to those in need. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.
Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves—a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point! But there can be other ways of abstaining if food abstinence is not appropriate for us. We can abstain one evening each week from television for example, or from our daily newspaper once a week. Whatever we choose it must truly be a discipline.
Almsgiving: It should be obvious at this point that almsgiving, the third traditional pillar, is linked to our baptismal commitment in the same way. It is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life we began when we were baptized.

In our consideration of Lent then, we MUST consider Jesus. We must ask ourselves WWJD? We can look at the pattern of Lent and see in it the pattern of Jesus. We can take it our leave it – the choice as always is ours. Elsewhere in this magazine the opportunities through Lent are laid out. What will you do?

  Fr Andrew
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Lent 2012. Opportunities for ‘Following Jesus.’

Ash Wednesday
Will be a day of prayer and fasting. The church will be open all day from 8.00. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed and there will be regular ‘punctuations’ for prayer. Fr Andrew will be available all day for spiritual counsel and / or confession. At 10.15 am there will be a period of Bible study.

Every Sunday in Lent.
Preceding Sunday evening service there will be a time of silent prayer, simply sitting together with a common aim.
Each Sunday evening there will be Stations of the Cross in a variety of formats.
(Although Sundays do not strictly form part of the ‘40 days’, as a sign of our corporate fasting, there will be no sherry after mass)

Every Friday in Lent.
Following the noon mass, there will be a simple Lenten lunch, consisting of bread / cheese or soup. The cost will be £2.50 per person. £2 will go to support the hungry.
(This will also apply for the Fellowship lunch).

Throughout lent there will be an ecumenical study group. (details to be confirmed at time of writing) This is usually on a Wednesday evening. If this is not appropriate, a time of Bible study will be organised within the parish.

Palm Sunday evening
There will be a ‘Meditation in words and music’ on the readings of Holy Week. A preparation for our following of the Holy WEEK services and liurgies.