Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent officially ends at sundown on Holy Thursday with the beginning of the mass of the Lord’s Supper. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism, and the faithful deepened their commitment to Christ. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.

Older Catholics, who remember Lent in the 1930s, 40s or 50s may first think of this season as a time of penance. Lent was when you gave up something—like food or going to the movies— in order to do penance for sin. Since the Church has restored the rite of initiating adults into the Christian faith, Lent has taken on a different meaning—one that goes back to the fourth and fifth centuries. At that time, the 40 days before Easter were the final stage of preparation for those about to be baptized. The rest of the Church prayed and fasted in solidarity with them.

Today, with the presence in most Catholic parishes of a group of adults visibly making ready to receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil, Lent has regained that "baptismal" emphasis. We still can decide on a Lenten observance—fasting, prayer, almsgiving—but we do it with the purpose of recalling our Baptism, and we do it in solidarity with those preparing to be baptized or received into the Church.

Preparation for Baptism and for renewing baptismal commitment lies at the heart of the season of Lent. Since Vatican II Council, the Church has reemphasized the baptismal character of Lent, especially through the restoration of the Catechumenate and its Lenten rituals.

"The season of Lent is a preparation for the celebration of Easter. The liturgy prepares the catechumens (those preparing for Baptism) for the celebration of the paschal mystery by the several stages of Christian initiation. It also prepares the faithful, who recall their baptism and do penance in preparation for Easter" (General Norms for the Liturgical year, #27). 

The readings for each Sunday in Lent have been chosen by the Church to relate to the journey of faith each of us undertakes, to our basic baptismal call to be part of Christ. Some of the selections, from the Gospel of John, for example, have been used for centuries to recall the meaning of Baptism. For people about to be baptized, these Scripture passages take on a powerful meaning indeed. Those who are already baptized, are still on a journey. Our faith must be renewed, our baptismal promises affirmed, each time we gather with the Church for the Eucharist, where we hear God's Word and come to the table to be transformed into the Body of Christ. We bring to that experience our questions, our sinfulness, our hunger and thirst, our need to grow, our longing for God. Fr. Greg Friedman, O.F.M. for AmericanCatholic.org.

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HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF LENT

During the first century each Sunday was a little Easter on which the community gathered to celebrate Eucharist while waiting for the Lord's return. When it became obvious that the second coming was not imminent, the Church began to celebrate an annual Paschal feast during the second century. This celebration occurred at a night vigil during which candidates for baptism were initiated into the Church. During the third century, the climax of the catechumen's instruction and formation came during the period immediately preceding the Paschal Vigil. Since the whole community felt responsible for initiating new members into the Church, there was considerable community involvement in the final stages of the catechumenate and a renewed sense for the already baptized of what Church membership was all about. It is these final days of preparation for baptism that became the season of Lent in the fourth century.

ASHES
Traditionally, the ashes used for Ash Wednesday come from burning the palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. They are then blessed by a priest. Ashes are a biblical symbol of mourning and penance used since the time of Moses ("sackcloth and ashes," Nm 19:9-10, 17-18). They also symbolize death and so remind us of our mortality. Thus when the priest uses his thumb to sign one of the faithful with the ashes, he says, "Remember! You are dust and to dust you shall return." It is also a reminder of the joy of eternal life: "Repent, and believe the good news!" Ashes remind us of the day of judgment when we stand before God. To prepare well for the day we die, we must die now to sin and rise to new life in Christ. Being marked with ashes at the beginning of Lent indicates our need for deeper conversion of our lives during this season of renewal.

The Threefold Disciplines of Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving

• PRAYER: Lent is a time when, like Jesus, we need to go away into the desert - into a quite place - to take stock of our lives through prayer. Prayer is a way of life, an attitude, a response to God expressed in all we say and do. We each need to ask ourselves: Do I live at such a pace that I have no time for God and prayer? What needs to change in my life-style so that I can "persevere in prayer" as Paul recommends (Ro. 12:12)? Do I participate in traditional devotions such as Stations of the Cross, vigils, prayer services with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament? Am I open to new forms of prayer? Do I take time to think about my relationship with God and others? Do I spend time reflecting on the Scriptures each day? As a member of the Christian faithful, it is an obligation to confess serious sins in confession. It is strongly encouraged that each of the faithful confess even lesser sins a t least once a year, especially during the holy season of Lent.
  

• FASTING: For the early Christians, fasting was done in solidarity with the poor and the hungry. About the year 123 AD, St. Aristides explained to the Emperor Hadrian the manner in which Christians lived: "When someone is poor among them who has need of help, they fast for two or three days, and they have the custom of sending them the food which they had prepared for themselves."  Our Lenten fast can mean  more than going without food. For example: Can I do without a little sleep and use the time to read the scriptures or pray? Does anger or impatience hinder me from living the gospel of love? Can I do without TV or radio for a time each day?  Do I need to fast from selfishness and spend time developing the Christian virtue of selflessness love?
  

• ALMSGIVING: In early Christian times there were no government agencies to provide for the poor, homeless and sick. The Christian community knew it was responsible for remedying the suffering of others. Today, there are many groups that help the needy. We need to view almsgiving more as self-sharing that as check-writing. The money we share must somehow bring us into solidarity with the people in need. Try some of these forms of almsgiving this Lent: Choose to fast one day a week during Lent and contribute the money saved to Operation Rice Bowl or to a local food pantry. Conserve the world's energy by turning down the heat, turning off radios and televisions and unneeded lights. Walk or ride a bike wherever you can instead of driving. Recycle glass, cans and paper. Distribute all the things you no longer need to those who can use them. Share your own time and energy by helping someone else. Visit a nursing home. Baby sit for someone who doesn't get out often. Volunteer to read to the blind or tutor someone. Listen to someone. Spend time together as a family.
  

• RE-TREAT yourself  to new life through a thoughtful examination of your life-style and what can be accomplished through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, not only during Lent, but every day. It will be a prayerful response to God's graciousness to you. It will mean fasting from selfishness in order to give yourself more fully. It will mean Christian sharing of yourself and your resources. In so doing, you will journey toward the new life of Easter.

Penance, Fasting & Abstinence REGULATIONS FOR LENT

Days of Penance
The Fridays of the year outside of Lent remain days of penance, but each individual may substitute for the traditional abstinence from meat some other practice of voluntary self-denial or personal penance: this may be acts of temperance or acts of devotion, charity or Christian witness.

Fasting 
All Catholics from their 18th birthday until the beginning of their 60th birthday are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. One full meal is allowed on the days of fast. Two other meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength, are allowed. Together the two meals should not exceed the full meal. Drinking of ordinary liquids does not break the fast.

Abstinence
All Catholics who have completed their fourteenth year are obliged to abstain from meat, and soups and gravy made from meat, on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and the Fridays of Lent.

Why do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays?
In the first century, Jews fasted on Mondays and Thursdays. The original Christians were all Jewish and were used to the fasting as a spiritual discipline. They moved the fast days to Wednesdays and Fridays, because Judas engineered Jesus' arrest on a Wednesday and Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Most often that fast took the form of avoiding meat in the diet. In those days, meat was a luxury food. You either had to buy it in a market or you had to own enough land to keep cattle. On the other hand, anyone could grow vegetables or forage for them, and anyone could catch a fish in a lake or a stream. You could eat without money if you were poor. So meat was rich people's food and fish was poor people's food. That is why the most common form of fasting was to omit meat and eat fish.

Why is the Fish a symbol for Christians?
Christians see a link between their faith in Jesus Christ and the fish symbol. The Greek word for fish is ichthus, spelled: iota chi theta upsilon sigma. That is an acrostic for "Jesus Christ, of God, the Son, the Savior" [Iesous (Jesus) CHristos (Christ) THeou (of God) Uiou (the Son) Soter (the Savior)]. An acrostic is an arrangement of words in which the first letter of each line combines with others to form a word or words.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is a formal program of catechetical instruction, ascetically practice (prayer and spirituality), and liturgies whereby adults — called catechumens — are formally admitted into the Church and receive the Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. (The Sacrament of Penance is received later since baptism washes away all sin — original sin and actual sin.) During the course of the RCIA program, the individual follows a spiritual journey of "steps' accomplished through defined periods with formal rites. The first period is the Precatechumenate, when candidates inquire about the faith and receive evangelization. Hopefully, the person comes to that initial conversion and step of faith, aided by the grace of God. This period ends with the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens when the candidates publicly declare their intention to enter the Church. This Rite of Acceptance then begins the Period of the Catechumenate, during which the catechumens receive catechetical instruction. 

The Rite of Election
The Rite of Election closes the Period of the Catechumenate. This rite normally coincides with the first Sunday of Lent. At this rite, upon the testimony of sponsors and catechists and the catechumens' affirmation of their intention to join the Church, the Church makes its "election" of these catechumens to receive the Sacraments of Initiation. In the presence of the bishop (or his delegate), they inscribe their names in the Book of the Elect as a pledge of fidelity. Usually the rite of election takes place at the cathedral. These individuals enter the cathedral as "catechumens" and leave as "elect." The ceremony may also be called "enrollment of names." Now the catechumens are called "the elect' or "the illuminandi" ("those who will be enlightened"). They now begin a Period of Purification and Enlightenment — the final, intense preparation for the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. During the rite of election the church formally announces the names of those who will soon celebrate the sacraments of initiation. "Election" refers to the idea of "the chosen people." In Israel’s early history, God chose a people and established a covenant with them. Christians believe that God continues to choose people, now through the covenant of baptism. The rite of election thus establishes the names of those who will enter the new covenant through the sacraments of initiation. The key moments of the rite are the affirmation by the godparents and the act of admission or election. In the affirmation, the godparents testify that the catechumens are worthy to be initiated. Their testimony reveals the church’s positive judgment about the catechumens’ desire and behavior. The entire assembly may also join the affirmation. Next the bishop invites the catechumens to sign the book of the elect. In some dioceses, this action has already taken place in parishes during the rite of sending, and the books are presented at this point. Finally, during the act of admission or election, the bishop declares that the catechumens are members of the elect, to be initiated at the next Easter Vigil. Although many people refer to the ceremony as the time when catechumens "go to meet the bishop," its meaning is very different. It is not about meeting a celebrity. It is about being named among God’s chosen people.

The Rite of Sending
The rite of sending is a parish celebration that sends catechumens to the rite of election. At the rite of election, usually on or about the First Sunday of Lent, the church names the catechumens to be baptized at Easter. Generally, the rite of election takes place at the cathedral with the bishop. Because of the cathedral’s limited space and sometimes remote location, parish communities celebrate the rite of sending. Sending may take place at a Sunday Mass. After the homily, a catechist may present the catechumens to the priest, who calls them forward with their godparents and asks if the catechumens are ready. Have they taken their formation seriously? Have they given evidence of their conversion? Do the godparents judge them ready for the rite of election? The church must verify the readiness of the catechumens. We do not baptize based only on their desire. "There should be a deliberation prior to [the rite of election] to decide on the catechumen’s suitableness." This is carried out by those who help form the catechumens, by godparents, and members of the community (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults 122). The questions have real significance. In some places, the catechumens sign the book of the elect at the parish during the rite of sending. In others, they sign it at the cathedral during the rite of election. The ritual concludes with prayers for the catechumens. The rite of sending is optional, but it allows the parish to affirm the readiness of its catechumens. There is another optional rite of sending for those previously baptized in other ecclesial communities who are preparing for the rite of reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

This bulletin insert by Paul Turner originally appeared in MINISTRY & LITURGY (www.rpinet.com/ml), a pastoral planning resource used by the worship leaders in your parish as an aid for better liturgy. Kay Murdy writes a monthly column on the Spirituality of the readings for the Sunday Mass. © by Resource Publications, Inc. 160 E. Virginia St. #290, San Jose, CA 95112.

Early Christian Use of the Cross as a Symbol
Though today the cross is one of the most widely used symbols of Christianity, some scholars believe that it was almost never used as a religious symbol of early Christians who were under constant threat of persecution by the Roman authorities. They were safer using a more subtle sign, such a the anchor or the fish, whose letters in Greek spelled out "Jesus Christ God's Son Savior." In addition, among the archaeological finds, are various christograms - the first letters of Jesus Christ in Greek superimposed on one another. But not until the early fifth century does the cross appear as a Christian symbol. "The cross at the time was being used for crucifixion and torture," explains Dominican Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, New Testament professor at Jerusalem's Ecole Biblique. "To wear it around one's neck would be like wearing a miniature electric chair around your neck today. The idea was repulsive."

The widely accepted theory holds that only when the Emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity in the fourth century, outlawed crucifixion were people able to forget the hideous details of what crucifixion entailed and began to use the cross as a Christian symbol. And, says Father Murphy-O'Connor, it took another two centuries before a corpus (the crucified body of Christ) was put on images of the cross. Adapted from article by U.S. Catholic Conference

The Stations of the Cross

Many parishes commemorate the Fridays of Lent with a prayerful remembrance of the passion of Christ by walking the 14 Stations of the Cross with him. Throughout our history Christians have literally walked in the footsteps of Christ. The shrines of the holy places in and around Jerusalem have drawn pilgrims inspired by the life and death of their master. Not everyone was able to travel to the Holy Land, so, ever since the middle ages, churches and chapels began erecting images devoted to an aspect of the passion. By the 15th Century, the Franciscans had developed a devotion they called "stations." Even though the word  implies something stationary, the service includes the movement of pilgrims following the footsteps of Christ. It took a while to fix the number and the names of the stations, but in 1731 Pope Clement XII established the 14 we know today. Discontent with leaving Jesus in the tomb, many places added a 15th station to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus, thus completing the story of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. (Paul Turner, Resource Pub., Inc., 1997)

The traditional Stations of the Cross are:
1) Jesus is Condemned to Death; 2) Jesus Bears His Cross; 3) Jesus Falls the First Time; 4) Jesus Meets his Sorrowful Mother;
5) Jesus is Helped by Simon; 6) Jesus Meets Veronica 7) Jesus Falls the Second Time 8) Jesus Meets the Sorrowing Women
9) Jesus Falls the Third Time; 10) Jesus is Stripped of His Garments; 11) Jesus is Nailed to the Cross; 12) Jesus Dies on the Cross;
13) Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross; 14) Jesus is Laid in the Tomb and 15) Jesus is Raised from the Dead

Prayer after the Stations: Jesus, you became an example of humility, obedience and patience, and preceded me on the way of life bearing your cross. Grant that, inflamed with your love, I may cheerfully take upon myself the sweet yoke of your Gospel together with the mortification of the cross and follow you as a true disciple so that I may be united with you in Heaven. Amen

While the devotion of the Stations of the Cross certainly has a place in Lent, the overemphasis given to it in the past tended to distort the meaning of the season. Because the stations were prayed publicly throughout the whole season, the impression was given that Lent was primarily about commemorating the passion and death of Christ.  

Vatican II strongly endorsed the use of devotions as part of Catholic spirituality, but it also called for their renewal, to harmonize them with the sacred liturgy (see Liturgy #13). The liturgy of Lent focuses on the passion and death of the Lord only near the end of the season, especially with the proclamation of the Passion on Palm (Passion) Sunday and again on Good Friday. The weekday readings between the Fifth Sunday of Lent and Palm Sunday also point toward the coming Passion, so that might also be an appropriate time to pray the Stations. The earlier weeks of Lent, however, focus much more on Baptism and covenant than on the Passion.

 When we do pray the Stations of the Cross, we can also connect them with the baptismal character of Lent if we place the stations themselves in the context of the whole paschal mystery. In Baptism we are plunged into the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection, and our baptismal commitment includes a willingness to give our life for others as Jesus did. Recalling his passion and death can remind us that we, too, may be called to suffer in order to be faithful to the call of God.

One limitation with the traditional form of the Stations is the absence of the second half of the paschal mystery. The liturgy never focuses on the death of Christ without recalling his resurrection. Some forms of the Stations of the Cross include a 15th station to recall the resurrection as an integral part of the paschal mystery.

Some contemporary forms of the Stations also make clear the link between the sufferings of Christ in the first century and the sufferings of Christ's body in the world today. Such an approach can help us to recognize and admit the ways that we have failed to live up to our baptismal mission to spread the gospel and manifest the love of Christ to those in need. For his Good Friday Service in Rome, Pope John Paul II altered the traditional stations. He eliminated some stations which derived from tradition, and substituted them with events from the Gospels. Here are the stations he used: 1) Jesus in the Garden of Olives; 2) Jesus Betrayed by Judas; 3) Jesus Condemned to Death by the Sanhedrin; 4) Jesus Denied by Peter; 5) Jesus Judged by Pilate; 6) Jesus Flogged and Crowned with Thorns; 7) Jesus Carries His Cross; 8) Jesus is Helped by Simon of Cyrene; 9) Jesus Encounters Women of Jerusalem; 10) Jesus is Crucified; 11) Jesus Promises the Kingdom to the Good Thief; 12) Jesus on the Cross; 13) The Mother of Jesus and His Disciples at the Cross; 14) Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

THE TRIDUUM

Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday

The great Three Days, or "Triduum," celebrate the central mysteries of our faith. The Triduum is not three separate days, but one long feast celebrating Christ's great love poured out for us so that we might be transformed into his mystical body, the Church. 

• The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, and concludes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. All of the liturgies of the Triduum are tied to the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In this way the faithful can journey with Jesus to the cross, to resurrection and new life. The message that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again are at the center of these holy days. The color for the Triduum is red.
   

• On Holy Thursday the evening Mass is, first of all, the memorial of the institution of the Eucharist. The Mass of the Lord's Supper is also the memorial of the institution of the priesthood, by which Christ's mission and sacrifice are perpetuated in the world. The Mass on Holy Thursday is also a memorial of that love by which the Lord loved us "even to death". This is dramatically manifested through the foot washing which follows the Liturgy of the Word.
   

• On Good Friday the Church celebrates the "Liturgy of the Lord's Passion." This is not a Mass. The service consists of the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the cross, and the Communion Rite. There are no Introductory Rites, no Liturgy of the Eucharist and no Concluding Rites.
   

• The Easter Vigil celebrates the first light of resurrection and salvation. The new Paschal candle is carried into the church, as are the holy oils used throughout the year. For the first time since Lent began the alleluias are sung in honor of the Risen Christ. New Catholics are initiated through the reception of Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation.