Even from centuries before Christ
ashes have been a sign of penance. For
instance, in the Book of Jonah when
Jonah proclaims the coming destruction
of Nineveh and the king hears of it,
he rises from his throne, lays aside
his robe, covers himself in sackcloth
and sits in ashes (Jonah 3:6). And
when Esther is told by her Uncle
Mordecai that she must intervene with
the king to save her people, she
covers her head with dirt and ashes
(Esther 4C:13).
Today one of the phrases that may
be said by the priest or minister on
Ash Wednesday while sprinkling the
ashes on the forehead is:
"Remember, man, that you are dust
and unto dust you will return."
So it should become clear why ashes
are imposed on Ash Wednesday. They
remind us of our mortality and are a
sign that we wish to undertake
penance.
The ashes used on Ash Wednesday
come from burning the palms that were
blessed on Palm Sunday of the previous
year. The ashes are blessed after the
Gospel and homily on Ash Wednesday.
In 1966 Pope Paul VI reorganized the
Church's practice of public penance in
his "Apostolic Constitution on
Penance" (Poenitemini).
The 1983 revision of the Code of Canon
Law incorporated the changes made by
Pope Paul.
To sum up those requirements,
Catholics between the ages of 18 and
59 are obliged to fast on Ash
Wednesday and Good Friday. In
addition, all Catholics 14 years old
and older must abstain from meat on
Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the
Fridays of Lent.
Fasting means partaking of only one
full meal. Some food (not equalling
another full meal) is permitted at
breakfast and around midday or in the
evening--depending on when a person
chooses to eat the main or full meal.
Abstinence forbids the use of meat,
but not of eggs, milk products or
condiments made of animal fat.
According to Father John Huels in The
Pastoral Companion (Franciscan
Herald Press), abstinence does not
include meat juices and liquid foods
made from meat. Thus, such foods as
chicken broth, consommé, soups cooked
or flavoured with meat, meat gravies
or sauces, as well as seasonings or
condiments made from animal fat are
not forbidden. So it is permissible to
use margarine and lard.
Huels states that even bacon
drippings which contain little bits of
meat may be poured over lettuce as
seasoning.
Huels gives a norm long used by
moral theologians: If in doubt whether
a particular food is considered meat,
look to the common estimation of
persons in the area. Custom is the
best interpreter of the law.
Each year in publishing the Lenten
penance requirements, the bishops
quote the teaching of the Holy Father
concerning the seriousness of
observing these days of penance. The
obligation to do penance is a serious
one; the obligation to observe, as a
whole or "substantially,"
the days of penance is also serious.
But no one should be over
scrupulous in this regard; failure to
observe individual days of penance is
not considered serious. Moral
theologians remind us that some people
are excused from fasting and/or
abstinence because of sickness or
other reasons.
In his "Apostolic Constitution
on Penance," Pope Paul VI did
more than simply reorganize Church law
concerning fast and abstinence. He
reminded us of the divine law that
each of us in our own way do penance.
We must all turn from sin and make
reparation to God for our sins. We
must forgive and show love for one
another just as we ask for God's love
and forgiveness.
The Code
of Canon Law and our
bishops
remind us of other works and means of
doing penance:
- prayer
- reading and meditation on the
Bible
- acts of self-denial
- almsgiving
- works of personal charity
- Attending Mass daily or several
times a week
- praying the rosary
- making the way of the cross
- attending the parish evening
prayer service
- teaching the illiterate to read
- reading to the blind
- helping the poor
- visiting the sick and
shut-ins
- giving an overworked mother a
break by baby-sitting
all of these can be even more
meaningful and demanding than simply
abstaining from meat on Friday.
Why
are there 40 days in Lent?
All of the Synoptic Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke) tell us that
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit
into the desert where he fasted and
prayed for 40 days.
Moses led a people through the
waters (think "Baptism")
of the Red Sea into a desert (a
place with no water) for 40 years
(Lent lasts 40 days) where their
identity was formed as a people (our
journey during this Lent should form
us into a baptized people following
Christ to the Father).
--from the Catholic Updates
"Celebrating
Lent in Your Home," by
Kathryn A. Schneider and Robert M.
Hamma and "Lent:
A 40-Day Retreat--Rediscovering Your
Baptismal Call," by Thomas
Richstatter, O.F.M.
HOLY
WEEK
The
purpose of Holy Week is to re-enact,
relive, and participate in the passion
of Jesus Christ.
- Thursday
- The disciples arranged for the
Passover meal, which took place
after sundown. After sundown, it was
Friday by Jewish reckoning.
- Friday: Preparation Day, the
Passover
- The day began on what we would
call Thursday evening. Jesus and the
disciples ate the Passover in the
upper room. Judas left during the
meal. Jesus and the remaining
disciples adjourned to the Garden of
Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed and
the disciples kept falling asleep.
Judas arrived and betrayed Jesus,
who spent the rest of the night
being tried by the Sanhedrin and by
Pilate. The following morning, which
was still the same day by Jewish
reckoning, the Crucifixion took
place. Matthew 27:62, Mark
15:42, Luke 23:55-56, and John
19:31 all inform us that this was
Preparation Day, which is the Jewish
name for Friday. Mark and John
explain that the next day is the
Sabbath. Thus Jesus, the Lamb of
God, was sacrificed for our sins on
Passover, and His blood protects us
from the angel of death. Jesus died
on the cross and was buried before
sunset. So this was first day that
Jesus lay in the tomb.
- Saturday: the Jewish Sabbath
- Jesus rested in the tomb on the
Sabbath. According to
Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1-3,
and Luke 23:56-24:3, the day
before the Resurrection was a
Sabbath. This is the second day that
Jesus lay in the tomb.
- Sunday: the first day of the
week, the Festival of First
Fruits
- On the third day, Jesus
rose from the grave. It
was the first day of the week and
the day after the Sabbath, according
to Matthew 28:1,
Mark 16:1-3,
Luke 23:56-24:3. John 20:1
says the Resurrection took place on
the first day of the week. He does
not explicitly say that the previous
day was the Sabbath, but there is no
room in his narrative for any
intervening days. The first day
of the week is the Jewish name
for Sunday. Sunday is also the
eighth day after the creation in
Genesis, so Paul describes Jesus’
Resurrection as the first fruits of
the new creation in
1 Corinthians 15:20-23.
-
The
Biblical Accounts of The
Death and Resurrection of
Jesus
|
The passages below are taken
from the account of the passion and
resurrection of Jesus Christ set out
in the Gospel of Matthew.
The Last
Supper -- Jesus shares the
Passover meal with his disciples and
offers them his body and his blood in
the breaking of the bread and the
sharing of the wine.
The
Garden of Gethsemane -- Jesus goes
out to the garden with his followers,
knowing the course which he is about
to take.
Christ
Before the High Priest and Peter's
Denials -- Jesus is led before the
high priest, while Peter three times
denies he know Jesus.
Christ
Before Pilate -- Jesus is led
before the high priest and Pilate and
the crowd shouts "Crucify
Him!"
The
Crucifixion -- Finally Jesus is
hung on a cross to die.
Resurrection
-- Three days later and the tomb is
empty. Jesus has risen and shows God's
power over sin and death.
-
What
is the Church's official position
concerning penance and abstinence from
meat during Lent?
?
The
Season of Lent
