Examining one's conscience and listing the sins and the root cause of these sins (which is most important)are the easy part. Grace from God is needed for true sorrow that leads to repentance and a firm purpose of amendment.
A handout given to all Saint Joseph Church parishioners this past Sunday:
WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR LENT?
The season of Lent is 40 days and 40 nights of intensified Christian asceticism based upon fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Your Lenten discipline should be fashioned after these three forms of asceticism. Of course we are called by Jesus and mandated by the Church to some form of these ascetical practices all year long, not just during Lent and especially each Friday of the year. But during Lent, these should be intensified. Teach your children about this and bring them to the Stations of the Cross!
Fasting (and Abstinence) Church Law:
Catholics who have celebrated their 14th birthday are bound to abstain from meat, poultry, game and meat products on Ash Wednesday and each Friday of Lent.
Catholics who have celebrated their 18th birthday, in addition to abstaining from meat, should fast, that is, eat only one full meal on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Smaller quantities of food may be taken at two other meals, but no food should be consumed at other times during those two days. The obligation of fasting ceases with the celebration of one's 59th birthday.
These practices are designed for spiritual growth. Catholics are not to excuse themselves lightly from these prescribed minimal penitential practices.
In addition, Catholics who are 18 and older may wish to follow voluntarily the older Lenten regulation of fasting everyday during Lent except on Sunday. The description of the fast above would apply. This should be purely voluntary and flexible and one’s health should be considered.
Every man, woman and child, though, should give up something for the entire season of Lent, like desserts, sweets, alcohol, soda pop, etc. You should give up something you like and therefore is a sacrifice.
Prayer: Daily Mass; Evening Prayer and Benediction on Wednesday at 5:30 PM; Confession on Saturday at 3:00 PM and Wednesday at 6:30 PM; Stations of the Cross, each Friday at 12:10 PM or 7:00 PM or privately at any time; Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in our Adoration Chapel, weekly holy hour; The Holy Rosary and other pious devotions.
Giving up non-food items is not considered a fast but is nonetheless encouraged, like watching TV, blogging, computer games, etc but the purpose of this would be to make more time for personal prayer and devotions, like the Holy Rosary.
Almsgiving: Take a step toward tithing for the weekly offertory; Operation Rice Bowl for Catholic Relief Services; Weekly parish food drives; Work with Saint Vincent de Paul and donate to them; Increase Second Collection giving
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Here is from this week's bulletin:
REGULATIONS FOR LENT
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 9. The following are the barest minimum obligations which must be observed by Catholics under pain of serious sin (if there is no serious excusing cause).
Abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Fridays of Lent by all Catholics 14 years of age and older. Fasting is observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59 years of age. Those bound by this rule may take only one full meatless meal. Two smaller meals, not equaling together a full meal, are permitted as necessary to maintain strength according to one’s needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.
If there are any questions about when one would not be obliged to this observance, please contact the pastor.
They had me at 'Regulations'. I maybe giving up English for Lent.
rcg
It was wonderful. The priests who are doing this have done a wonderful thing and are doing it beautifully.
Several interesting things: almost every woman wore a veil over their head. For some reason it was interesting to see the tiny children wearing them thinking that they, even in this day and age, think this is as it should be. Secondly, as I listened to the Latin, I noticed some words, that when I checked the translation, would be better in the 'slavish' versions. For example 'dicerne' was translated to 'distinguish'. While I know that is a valid translation, the subtlety of 'discern' versus ''distinguish' seems important, indicating the all seeing nature of God's eye and the fact that no small thing goes un-noticed.
The priests were young fellows, as they should be to have genuflected as many times as they did, and I was reminded of a good friend of Polish extraction who is both fearless and fearsome. They looked strong and focused and energetic. It was infectious.
BTW, all knelt, all received on the tongue.
rcg
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