Life is a journey. Long and winding, perhaps with many obstacles. Others experience the journey with purpose and goals. No matter the experience, we are all in this together. One thing we all have in common is that we do not know how or when our journey will end.
Our journeys have different seasons or times. Times of growth, renewal, hardships, abundance, or solitude. They are experienced alone or with family. Man was not meant to be alone. We are social creatures. The sense of belonging expands to our faith. We even have a name for it, “our church family.”
There are the natural seasons: summer, winter, spring, and fall, and then there are religious seasons. In Christianity, the two most obvious are Christmas and Easter. In the Catholic faith, we have many. There are seasons that lead up to Easter and Christmas. Advent is the 4 weeks we await the birth of Jesus. And Lent is the 40 days we prepare for Christ’s passion, followed by Easter.
The season of Lent is a journey that begins with Ash Wednesday. This is not a Holy Day of Obligation. You do not have to receive ashes. It is a symbolic start to the season. The ashes are traditionally given to the faithful at a Catholic Mass. A tradition that goes back to the late 300’s. But some other Christian denominations have followed this tradition.
One year, I saw an Episcopal minister standing near the square in Cleveland, in a parking lot, with ashes for anyone who wanted to receive them (you do not have to be Catholic). I also heard of a priest’s experience while traveling on an airline. A stewardess, knowing it was Ash Wednesday, asked him if he happened to have any ashes with him. He replied, “As a matter of fact, I do.” So, he took them out of his travel bag in the overhead compartment and went to the front of the plane to give them out to her and her friends. Before long, word spread, and half the plane had gotten up to receive the ashes and the priest’s blessing, including the pilots.
Side note: This is a good example of why I believe priests should always wear their clerics in public. (Black shirt with their collar). You never know who may need to talk with a priest. Many priests will tell you they have people coming up to them in public places (like airports at stopovers) and ask to speak to them, or better yet, ask if they can make a confession. This is the Holy Spirit moving people to action. A good priest will accommodate a request like that.
Ashes are made of the burnt palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday’s dried palms. (A priest blesses the ashes.) Parishioners are asked to bring them in prior to Ash Wednesday. Most Catholics keep blessed palms in their homes all year long. Blessed articles are not to be thrown in the garbage. Anything blessed and used for reverence to our Lord is called a sacramental. They are not to become trash. If it can be burned, it should be burned; otherwise, it should be buried in the ground.
Jesus calls us to repent, proclaiming the good news of God, saying, “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near: repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk: 1 14-15). Those at the Ash Wednesday service receive the ashes on the forehead in the marking of a cross. As they receive them, the person administering them says, “Repent and believe in the good news” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (GEN 3:19) A solemn reminder that our life on earth is limited.
I always like to see people wearing ashes on TV. Call it camaraderie. Most are Catholics. This year, I noticed more than half the commentators on Fox News had a distinct black cross on their forehead. Though, depending on the time of day they received them, it could turn into a black smudge. I watched a Catholic Podcast on Ash Wednesday, with a priest and 2 commentators. Both Commentators had their ashes, but the Priest did not. The Priest apologized for not having his ashes yet, since he was going to a later service. I guess he felt somehow that he owed people an explanation. Though he did not.
Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation. (like Sundays, Christmas, and Easter) But it is the most attended service just behind Christmas and Easter. If I go to the noon services, I am walking around town with a black cross on my forehead. I forget I have them; that is, until I notice people staring at me.
Tuesday before Ash Wednesday became known as Fat Tuesday because people would rid their households of any decadent foods and temptations with an indulgent meal. Unfortunately, too many people have taken this to the extreme (Eat, Drink, and be Merry), following the example of the rich fool in Jesus’ parable. The rich fool stores up a bountiful harvest and says to himself he can now, “ ….rest, eat, drink and be merry” (Luke 12:19). God rebukes him, calls him a fool, and tells him his life will be demanded of him that night, and where will his riches be then?
Lent is a time of Prayer, Fasting, (Penance), and Alms giving. Traditionally, Catholics “give up” something for Lent. It is supposed to be something of a sacrifice, a penance. It can be any number of pleasures, such as giving up a favorite food, drink, or entertainment, or making a time sacrifice. In this day and age, many give up social media. (After all, much of it is about our opinions and pride.)
Part of penance is abstinence from meat and fasting on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent. (Eating Lobster at Red Lobster is NOT considered an observance of the rule.) When we have control over our bodily appetites, we can control our other sinful appetites better. We build up spiritual endurance. Technically, Catholics are required to abstain from meat on all Fridays throughout the year in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice. We are also supposed to use the season of Lent to spend more time in prayer and in almsgiving. (Giving and thinking of others and not just ourselves.)
Lent is a penitential season. We are learning to die to ourselves and turn our will over to God, as Jesus did. A time to slow down and examine our lives. Are we truly following Jesus? Would he approve of our lifestyle? What changes can we make to grow closer to Him? We must acknowledge our sins and examine our consciences before we can go to Jesus with a contrite heart. “A clean heart create for me, God; Renew in me a steadfast spirit.” Psalm 51:12.
This can be a very difficult process for some people who may not acknowledge that they have any sins at all. There must be a moral code to follow, or we have no measuring stick for accountability. This is why Jesus says he is “The Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) A Christian will acknowledge that there are moral absolutes. Starting with the 10 commandments.
Passiontide is the last two weeks of Lent. Palm Sunday is the second Sunday of Passiontide, the first Sunday of Holy Week. Palms are blessed and given out to parishioners, recognizing Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Passion week begins. Statues and holy images are covered in purple. It represents Jesus withdrawing from public view and hiding his divinity.
The week before Easter is called Holy Week. Within that time, we have the Triduum. The 3 days of the Triduum begin with Holy Thursday, the evening of the Lord’s Supper, which commemorates the Jewish Passover meal, and Good Friday, and reach their conclusion at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. The only day of obligation is Easter.
Holy Thursday commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and the Priesthood at the Last Supper. The service includes the Priest washing the feet of a select few, representing Jesus humbling himself before the Apostles.
Good Friday service focuses on the veneration of Jesus’ cross. At this service, people come forward to kiss the cross. No music, no alter clothes. The Sanctuary light is a red lamp in the church, near the tabernacle (where Jesus is always present). That lamp normally stays lit 24/7. Its absence of light on Good Friday signifies that Jesus is not here. The Eucharist is gone, and the tabernacle is empty and open. The emptiness of a world without Jesus. The Lamp will remain unlit until the Easter Vigil service on Saturday Night.
Good Friday is the day of our Lord’s Passion and crucifixion. It is a day of prayer, fasting, and abstaining from meat. I remember a time when everything would close on Good Friday. Schools, banks, and businesses were all closed. When I had my retail shop, I put up a sign alerting my customers to the shop’s closure on that day. Making money on that day just did not seem right. It is not an ordinary day.
Good Friday is the most solemn day of the year for Catholics. But is its significance recognized and honored by all Christians? People do not like to dwell on the suffering of Jesus, but the fact is, we cannot have the Glory of a risen Lord without his death, a sacrifice he freely chose for us!
Holy Saturday is another Solemn day. It is a day of prayer and fasting. (No celebrations or elaborate meals.) We are awaiting His resurrection, but others who knew Him were in morning. It is a time of waiting and reflection. No Mass is held until the Easter Vigil that night.
The Easter Vigil is a beautiful service that begins on Saturday at sundown. The Church is dark. The service starts outside, with a small fire on the property and the Pascal candle lit from it. Everyone is given a small unlit candle. The large Pascal candle is processed in with the Priest and his attendants, followed by the parishioners. The Pascal candle is kept in the church year-round for other sacramental ceremonies and on Holy Days. It is lit at every Mass during the 50 days of the Easter Season. The Candle and fire represent Jesus as the light in the darkness.
At the Vigil service, once inside the dark church, individual candles are lit. Starting from the Pascal candle. Prayers are recited, lights come on, and individual candles are blown out. The liturgy of the Word is proclaimed (salvation history). We renew Baptismal vows and continue with the Liturgy of the Eucharist. People who wish to become Catholic have been going to classes to learn about the Catholic Faith. (About 8 months of classes.) At the Easter Vigil, these candidates are recognized by the Church and receive the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation, and become members of the Catholic Faith.
The Easter season begins with Easter and continues for 50 days to Pentecost Sunday. After Pentecost Sunday, we return to “Ordinary Time.” Easter Sunday, the resurrection of our Lord, is celebrated by most Christian faiths but not all. Easter is the third day that Christ speaks about when he says he will rise on the third day. ……Alleluia, Alleluia, He has Risen!
