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On February 17 we will celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our annual special time leading up to the Paschal Triduum.  For centuries the Church has focused on this time as a preparation for the great events which are celebrated as part of the Paschal Mystery.

The early Church saw this time principally as the final preparation individuals would immerse themselves into leading up to their full initiation into the Church at the Easter Vigil.  Later on the emphasis became one of all the faithful entering in a penitential way more deeply into one’s personal relationship with the Lord, the way of Salvation.

In December of 1963 in a solemn way the Church issued a very significant document at the Second Vatican Council called the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.  This document arguably more than any of the other documents has directly impacted our lives as Catholics, the topic of Lent being no exception.

In Paragraph 109 the Church takes the emphasis of the Church from its earliest days and the later emphasis and makes one statement which presents succinctly our present Catholic understanding.  It reads:  “The season of Lent has a twofold character; primarily by recalling or preparing for Baptism and by Penance it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the Word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the Paschal Mystery.”

Lent focuses on Baptism by recalling to mind for those baptized their special relationship with God, and for those seeking Baptism the most proximate time leading to their new longed and hoped for relationship with God.  Lent also presents for those already baptized an invitation to enter into a penitential way of life, thereby leading them to a closer union with the Lord.

Thus, the Church sees Lent as a time to be used wisely for a person, and in fact for all the faithful and soon to be one of the faithful, so that everyone’s relationship with Christ may be realized.

Lent is not the end, rather it is the means to the end of oneness with the Lord Himself.

Realizing and appreciating this goal should motivate us as members of the Body of Christ to strive to help and support those who will soon be one with us as they experience the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).  This process increases in intensity with the celebration of the Rite of Election to be held at our Cathedral on Sunday, 21 February.  We look forward to gathering with all the catechumens from all our parishes for this special moment in the journey.

The Church incorporates this rite into the process for those seeking initiation because of the special relationship the Bishop is to have with catechumens, thus the expectation that he is the one to accept them by saying “I now declare you to be members of the elect, to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the next Easter Vigil”  RCIA 133.

Realizing and appreciating the need for greater union with Christ,  the Church encourages all the faithful to a penitential way of life during Lent.  In Paragraph 109 from the Constitution we read about developing the virtue of penance whereby one develops a detestation of sin and offenses against God, and in that same paragraph the Church encourages the penitential practices we are all so well familiar with such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and acts of charity.

Thanks to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy two emphases for Lent have been joined together thereby enriching our personal and parish opportunities for serious spiritual growth and development.  Remember, Lent is for all of us.  Let us use these wisely.