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Dear Brothers and Sisters in
the Lord:
In the early Church the annual
feast of Easter was the time when new members were initiated into the
Christian community. Those preparing for baptism, known as
'catechumens', fasted for two days beforehand. Gradually this time of
preparation lengthened until, by the fourth century, it had become set
at 40 days. St. Augustine explained that the authority of the 40 days
comes from the time that Christ spent in the desert and from the fasts
of Moses and Elias. There has been some variation in counting the 40
days over history. Around the fifth century it became established as the
period of 40 days before Holy Thursday- not counting Sundays, which
are never days of fasting.
At this time it was also given
the name 'Lent', from an old English word meaning 'to
lengthen' which, because it was the time when the short winter days
were gradually growing longer, was the name given to the season we call
spring. Spring, of course, is the season when Lent occurs in the
northern hemisphere.
As well as the time for
catechumens to make their final preparations for initiation, Lent was a
period of preparation for penitents who would be reconciled with the
Christian community on Holy Thursday. Other members of the church
journeyed with the catechumens and penitents during these 40 days
through fasting, almsgiving and prayer.
The catechumenate collapsed
when the pattern of initiation changed and it became the norm for
infants rather than adults to be baptized. As a consequence, Lent lost
its baptismal focus and became associated almost exclusively with
penance. This is why many people associate Lent exclusively with acts of
self-denial, like 'giving up' a favorite food or pastime.
The second Vatican council
restored the baptismal focus of this season. Paragraph 109 of the
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy describes Lent as being
“marked by two themes, the baptismal and penitential” and calls for
“more use to be made of the baptismal features proper to the Lenten
liturgy”.
On the afternoons of the 2nd
and 3rd Sundays of Lent, those people preparing for
initiation into the Catholic Church at the Easter ceremonies gather with
their sponsors, catechists and families for the Presentation of the
Creed. In this ritual, which has been practiced from the earliest years
of the Church, the 'elect' (as the catechumens are called at this stage
of their journey) hear recited to them the great statement of our faith
that dates from the Council of Nicea in 325CE. They are asked to commit
the Creed to memory and to recite it publicly before professing their
faith in accordance with that Creed on the day of their baptism.
During Lent we are all on a
journey as we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery at the Easter
Triduum and continue that celebration throughout the 50 days of the
joyful Season of Easter.
Let’s give our minds and
hearts to the Lord this Lent! Father Joe
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