The Great Corporate Retreat of the Church
‘The works of mercy are innumerable. Their very variety brings this advantage to those who are Christians, that, in the matter of almsgiving, not only the rich and affluent, but also those of average means and the poor are able to play their part. Those who are unequal in their capacity to give can be equal in the love within their hearts (from a sermon by Pope Leo the Great).
Lord, protect us in our struggle against evil, as we begin the discipline of Lent.
Bless us and help us to grow in holiness through our prayer, almsgiving and self- denial.
The Spirit of Lent
This celebration of Lent is not only a matter of commemorating the historical fact of man’s Redemption, but, even more, of reliving the mystery of Redemption in all its fullness, which means renewing in us the power of the Redemption and appropriating its effects for us. The better the preparation for Lent, the more effective our Lent will be. One can truly relive these mysteries only with purified mind and heart. The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning us from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in us the desire to do God’s will, and making His Kingdom come, first in our hearts.
Lent is a Time of Conversion
Lent is a collective retreat of forty days, a time when we try to live the spirit of our Baptism, a time of repentance, a change of mind and heart, and a conversion. The whole Church renews her spiritual youth, with the awakening of the consciousness of Baptism, of our realizing what it means to be baptized. This explains the prominence of the themes of Baptism, New Life, and Redemption in the Lenten liturgy.
The Purification of the Heart
Lent is especially consecrated to the purification of the heart. This purification is accomplished first of all by sorrow for sin, conversion of heart, and penance. It also involves the positive element which is growth in virtue. The Church often insists during these forty days upon fasting from sin and from vice; in fact, bodily fasting is a symbol of this true, internal and spiritual fasting. It is also the means to attain it. True conversion, which is the aim of Lent, means forsaking sin and sinful ways. The Lenten Office reminds us of this: “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping and mourning, rend your hearts and not your garment says the Lord Almighty” (Joel 2:12-13) The bodily fasting and self discipline in which the Christian engages during this time has for its main purpose to give us that control over ourselves that we need in order to purify our hearts and to renew our lives. We not only fast from sin, but we also pursue holiness. The Gospel passages of this season present the Person of Christ as the model and source of all holiness. They focus attention upon him and inspire the Christian to follow in his steps
The conversion from sin and the conversion of heart should take place at the very beginning of Lent and should not be deferred to the end of the season. Lent is not intended to be a kind of preparation for Easter Confession. On the contrary, the original idea was that Confession was made before Lent began. The fact that Lent was the great baptismal retreat of the Church and the last stage of the catechumenate has greatly affected the liturgy of the season.
A Time to Renew Our Lives
The whole Lenten season is a time for penance, which means sorrow for sin and conversion to God. A good reason for receiving the Sacrament of Penance for serious sins before Lent begins is that the Holy Eucharist is an important part in bringing about purification of heart. It is the constant teaching of the Church that the Holy Eucharist strengthens our love, and this living charity wipes away venial sins. By the same charity, the Eucharist preserves us from future mortal sins.
