Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - Litany Lane Blog:
Alms, Psalms 51:3-17, Joel 2:12-18, Matthew 6,1-6,16-18 Pope Francis's Daily Catechesis, Saint of the day - Fra Angelico, Tradition of Ash Wednesday, Tradition of Lent, Catholic Catechism Part Three: Life in Christ Section Two: The Ten Commandment Chapter Two: Tenth Commandment Article 10:2-4 and In Brief, RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
God is granting us a state of grace. Honor God daily, use this grace period wisely and pay it forward. Let Jesus guide and inspire you to be the best you can be in 2015. ~ Zarya Parx 2015
"Where there is a Will, With God, There is a Way", "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. The Seven Gifts of
the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the
Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun
the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and
gluttony...Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...~ Zarya Parx 2013
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Wednesday in Lent
Rosary - Sorrowful Mysteries
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Daily Catechesis:
February 18, 2014
Ash Wednesday Homily
(2015-02-18 Vatican Radio)
Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass in the
Basilica of St. Sabina on the Aventine Hilll in Rome on Wednesday
afternoon – Ash Wednesday – the beginning of the great penitential
season of Lent. Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the
text the Holy Father prepared for the occasion.
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As God's people today we begin the journey of Lent, a time in which we try to unite ourselves more closely to the Lord Jesus Christ, to share the mystery of His passion and resurrection.
As God's people today we begin the journey of Lent, a time in which we try to unite ourselves more closely to the Lord Jesus Christ, to share the mystery of His passion and resurrection.
The Ash Wednesday liturgy offers us, first of all, the passage from the prophet Joel, sent by God to call the people to repentance and conversion, due to a calamity (an invasion of locusts) that devastates Judea. Only the Lord can save from the scourge, and so there is need of supplication, with prayer and fasting, each confessing his sin.
The prophet insists on inner conversion: “Return to me with all your heart” (2:12). To return to the Lord “with all [one’s] heart,” means taking the path of a conversion that is neither superficial nor transient, but is a spiritual journey that reaches the deepest place of our self. The heart, in fact, is the seat of our sentiments, the center in which our decisions and our attitudes mature.
That, “Return to me with all your heart,” does not involve only individuals, but extends to the community, is a summons addressed to all: “Gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. (2:16)”
The prophet dwells particularly on the prayers of priests, noting that their prayer should be accompanied by tears. We will do well to ask, at the beginning of this Lent, for the gift of tears, so as to make our prayer and our journey of conversion ever more authentic and without hypocrisy.
This is precisely the message of today’s Gospel. In the passage from Matthew, Jesus rereads the three works of mercy prescribed by the Mosaic law: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Over time, these prescriptions had been scored by the rust of external formalism, or even mutated into a sign of social superiority. Jesus highlights a common temptation in these three works, which can be described summarily as hypocrisy (He names it as such three times): “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them ... Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do ... And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men ... And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites. (Mt 6:1, 2, 5, 16)”
When you do something good, almost instinctively born in us is the desire to be respected and admired for this good deed, to obtain a satisfaction. Jesus invites us to do these works without any ostentation, and to trust only in the reward of the Father "who sees in secret" (Mt 6,4.6.18).
Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord never ceases to have mercy on us, and desires to offer us His forgiveness yet again, inviting us to return to Him with a new heart, purified from evil, to take part in His joy. How to accept this invitation? St. Paul makes a suggestion to us in the second reading today: “We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Cor 5:20)” This work of conversion is not just a human endeavor. Reconciliation between us and God is possible thanks to the mercy of the Father who, out of love for us, did not hesitate to sacrifice his only Son. In fact, the Christ, who was righteous and without sin was made sin for us (v. 21) when on the cross He was burdened with our sins, and so redeemed us and justified before God. In Him we can become righteous, in him we can change, if we accept the grace of God and do not let the “acceptable time (6:2)” pass in vain.
With this awareness, trusting and joyful, let us begin our Lenten journey. May Mary Immaculate sustain our spiritual battle against sin, accompany us in this acceptable time, so that we might come together to sing the exultation of victory in Easter.
Soon we will make the gesture of the imposition of ashes on the head. The celebrant says these words: “You are dust and to dust you shall return, (cf. Gen 3:19)” or repeats Jesus’ exhortation: “Repent and believe the gospel. (Mk 1:15)” Both formulae are a reminder of the truth of human existence: we are limited creatures, sinners ever in need of repentance and conversion. How important is it to listen and to welcome this reminder in our time! The call to conversion is then a push to return, as did the son of the parable, to the arms of God, tender and merciful Father, to trust Him and to entrust ourselves to Him.
Reference: Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2015 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 02/18/2015
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Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: 2015
Vatican City, Spring 2015 (VIS)
The following is the English text of the intentions –
both universal and for evangelization – that, as is customary, the Pope
entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer for 2015.
January
Universal: That those from diverse religious traditions
and all people of good will work together for peace.
Evangelization: That in this year
dedicated to consecrated life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy
of following Christ and strive to serve the poor with zeal.
February
Universal: That prisoners, especially the young, may be
able to rebuild lives of dignity.
Evangelization: That married people who are separated may
find welcome and support in the Christian community.
March
Universal: That those involved in
scientific research may serve the well-being of the whole human person.
Evangelization: That the unique
contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always.
April
Universal: That people may learn to respect creation and
care for it as a gift of God.
Evangelization: That persecuted
Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity
of all the Church.
May
Universal: That, rejecting the culture of indifference,
we may care for our neighbours who suffer, especially the sick and the poor.
Evangelization: That Mary’s
intercession may help Christians in secularized cultures be ready to proclaim
Jesus.
June
Universal: That immigrants and refugees may find welcome
and respect in the countries to which they come.
Evangelization: That the personal
encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their
own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.
July
Universal: That political responsibility may be lived at
all levels as a high form of charity.
Evangelization: That, amid social
inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor
and contribute to a more fraternal society.
August
Universal: That volunteers may
give themselves generously to the service of the needy.
Evangelization: That setting aside
our very selves we may learn to be neighbours to those who find themselves on
the margins of human life and society.
September
Universal: That
opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people.
Evangelization: That catechists may
give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim.
October
Universal: That human trafficking, the modern form of
slavery, may be eradicated.
Evangelization: That with a
missionary spirit the Christian communities of Asia may announce the Gospel to
those who are still awaiting it.
November
Universal: That we may be open to
personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ
from our own.
Evangelization: That pastors of the
Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven
their hope.
December
Universal: That all may experience the mercy of God, who
never tires of forgiving.
Evangelization: That families,
especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain
hope.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2014 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 10/04/2014.
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November 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you to love; to
continually pray for the gift of love; to love the Heavenly Father above
everything. When you love Him you will love yourself and your neighbor.
This cannot be separated. The Heavenly Father is in each person. He
loves each person and calls each person by his name. Therefore, my
children, through prayer hearken to the will of the Heavenly Father.
Converse with Him. Have a personal relationship with the Father which
will deepen even more your relationship as a community of my children –
of my apostles. As a mother I desire that, through the love for the
Heavenly Father, you may be raised above earthly vanities and may help
others to gradually come to know and come closer to the Heavenly Father.
My children, pray, pray, pray for the gift of love because 'love' is my
Son. Pray for your shepherds that they may always have love for you as
my Son had and showed by giving His life for your salvation. Thank you."
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
Today's Word: alms alms [ahmz]
Origin: before 1000; Middle English almes, almesse, Old English ælmesse (compare Old Saxon alamōsna, Old High German alamuosa, Dutch aalmoes; Old Spanish almosna) ≪ Late Latin eleēmosyna < Greek eleēmosýnē compassion, alms, derivative of éleos pity.
1. money, food, or other donations given to the poor or needy; anything given as charity:
The hands of the beggars were outstretched for alms.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 51:3-17
3 For I am well aware of my offences, my sin is constantly in mind.4 Against you, you alone, I have sinned, I have done what you see to be wrong, that you may show your saving justice when you pass sentence, and your victory may appear when you give judgement,
5 remember, I was born guilty, a sinner from the moment of conception.
6 But you delight in sincerity of heart, and in secret you teach me wisdom.
12 Give me back the joy of your salvation, sustain in me a generous spirit.
13 I shall teach the wicked your paths, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will acclaim your saving justice.
17 Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken, contrite heart you never scorn.
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Today's Epistle - Joel 2:12-18
12 'But now -- declares Yahweh- come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.'
13 Tear your hearts and not your clothes, and come back to Yahweh your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and he relents about inflicting disaster.
14 Who knows if he will not come back, relent and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a libation to be presented to Yahweh your God?
15 Blow the ram's-horn in Zion! Order a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly,
16
call the people together, summon the community, assemble the elders,
gather the children, even infants at the breast! Call the bridegroom
from his bedroom and the bride from her bower!
17 Let
the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, stand weeping between portico and
altar, saying, 'Spare your people, Yahweh! Do not expose your heritage
to the contempt, to the sarcasm of the nations! Why give the peoples cause to say, "Where is their God?" '
18 Then, becoming jealous over his country, Yahweh took pity on his people
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Today's Gospel Reading - Matthew 6,1-6,16-18
Ash Wednesday
The meaning of prayer, almsgiving and fasting
The way to spend the time of Lent well
Matthew 6,1-6,16-18
The meaning of prayer, almsgiving and fasting
The way to spend the time of Lent well
Matthew 6,1-6,16-18
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us
to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the
disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the
Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the
disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that
seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and
of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may
listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in
people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so
that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the
force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in
our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of
you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your
Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:
The Gospel of Ash Wednesday is taken
from the Sermon on the Mount and offers us help to understand the
practice of the three works of mercy: prayer, almsgiving and fasting and
the way to spend the time of Lent well. The manner of practising these
three works has changed over the centuries, according to the culture and
customs of people and their state of health. Old people today still
remember when there was a strict and compulsory fast of forty days
throughout Lent. In spite of changes in the practice of the works of
mercy, there still is the human and Christian obligation (i) to share
our goods with the poor (almsgiving), (ii) to live in contact with the
Creator (prayer) and (iii) to be able to control our urges and desires
(fasting). The words of Jesus on which we meditate can give us the
necessary creativity to find new forms of living these three practices
so important in the life of Christians.
b) A division of the text to assist in the reading:
Matthew 6:1: A general key to the understanding of the teaching that follows
Matthew 6:2: How not to go about almsgiving
Matthew 6:3-4: How to go about almsgiving
Matthew 6:5: How not to pray
Matthew 6:6: How to pray
Matthew 6:16: How not to fast
Matthew 6:17-18: How to fast
c) Text:
'Be
careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention;
otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when
you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human
admiration. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when
you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing;
your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is
done in secret will reward you.
'And when you pray, do not imitate the
hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues
and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you,
they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room,
shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret
place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward
you.
'When you are fasting, do not put on a
gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let
people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their
reward. But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face, 18
so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees
all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in
secret will reward you.
3. A moment of prayerful silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
a) What touched you or pleased you most in this text?
b) What is the meaning of Jesus’ initial warning?
c) What does Jesus criticise and teach about almsgiving? Make a resume for yourself.
d) What does Jesus criticise and teach about prayer? Make a resume for yourself.
e) What does Jesus criticise and teach about fasting? Make a resume for yourself.
5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme
a) The context:
Jesus speaks of three things: almsgiving
(Mt 6:1-6), prayer (Mt 6:5-15) and fasting (Mt 6:16-18). These were the
three works of mercy of the Jews. Jesus criticises the fact that they
practise these works to be seen by others (Mt 6:1). He will not allow
that the practice of justice and mercy be used as a means to social
promotion within the community (Mt 6:2.5.16). In the words of Jesus
there comes to light a new kind of relationship with God that is
revealed to us. He says: “your Father who sees all that is done in
secret will reward you" (Mt 6:4), “your Father knows what you need
before you ask him” (Mt 6:8), “if you forgive others their failings,
your heavenly Father will forgive you yours ” (Mt 6,14). Jesus presents
us with a new way of approaching the heart of God. A meditation on his
words concerning the works of mercy may help us discover this new way.
b) A commentary on the text:
Matthew 6:1: A general key to an understanding of the teaching that follows
Jesus says: Be careful not to parade
your uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose
all reward from your Father in heaven. The justice referred to by Jesus
is the place where God wants us to be. The way there is found in the
Law of God. Jesus warns that it is not enough to observe the law so as
to be praised by people. Earlier he had said: “For I tell you, if your
uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will
never get into the kingdom of Heaven" (Mt 5:26). In reading these words
we must not think only of the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, but above all
of the Pharisee that is dormant in each one of us. Had Joseph, Mary’s
spouse, followed the justice of the law of the Pharisees, he would have
had to renounce Mary. But he was “just” (Mt 1:19), and already possessed
the new justice proclaimed by Jesus. That is why he broke the ancient
law and saved Mary’s and Jesus’ lives. The new justice proclaimed by
Jesus rests on another foundation, springs from another source. We must
build our peace from inside, not in what we do for God, but in what God
does for us. This is the general key to an understanding of the teaching
of Jesus on the works of mercy. In what follows, Matthew applies this
general principle to the practice of almsgiving, prayer and fasting.
Didactically, he first expresses what must not be and then immediately
teaches what should be.
Matthew 6:2: How not to go about almsgiving
The wrong way of giving alms, then and
now, is that of doing it in public so as to be acknowledged and
acclaimed by others. We often see on pews of churches the words: “Gift
of such-and-such a family”. On television, politicians love to appear as
great benefactors of humanity on occasions of inaugurations of public
works at the service of the community. Jesus says: Those who act thus
have already had their reward.
Matthew 6:3-4: How to go about almsgiving
The correct way of giving alms is this:
“Your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing!” In other
words, we must give alms in such a way that not even I must feel that I
am doing something good that deserves a reward from God and praise from
others. Almsgiving is an obligation. It is a way of sharing something
that I have with those who have nothing. In a family, what belongs to
one belongs to all. Jesus praises the example of the widow who gave of
what was needed for herself (Mk 12:44).
Matthew 6:5: How not to pray
Speaking of the wrong way of praying,
Jesus mentions some strange practices and customs of his day. When the
trumpet sounded for morning, midday and evening prayer, there were those
who sought to be in the middle of the road to pray solemnly with arms
outstretched so as to be seen by all and thus be considered as pious
people. Others took up extravagant poses in the synagogue so as to draw
the attention of the community.
Matthew 6:6: How to pray
So as to leave no doubt, Jesus
over-emphasises the manner of praying. He says that we must pray in
secret, only before God the Father. No one will see you. May be before
others you may even seem to be a person who does not pray. This does not
matter! Even of Jesus it was said: “He is not God!” That is because
Jesus often prayed at night and did not care what others thought. What
matters is to have one’s conscience at peace and to know that God is the
Father who welcomes me, not because of what I do for God or because of
the satisfaction that I seek in the fact that others appreciate me as
one who is pious and prays.
Matthew 6:16: How not to fast
Jesus criticises wrong practices
concerning fasting. There were those who bore a sad face, did not wash,
wore torn clothes, did not comb their hair, so that all could see that
they were fasting in a perfect manner.
Matthew 6:17-18: How to fast
Jesus suggests the opposite: When you
fast, put scent on your head, wash your face, so that no one may know
that you are fasting, only your Father who is in heaven.
As we said earlier, it is a new manner
of accessing the heart of God that is opening before our eyes. For our
own interior peace, Jesus does not ask what we do for God, but what God
does for us. Almsgiving, prayer and fasting are not currency to buy
God’s favour, but are our response of gratitude for the love received
and experienced.
c) Further information:
i) The broader context of Matthew’s Gospel
Matthew’s Gospel was written for a
community of converted Jews who were experiencing a deep crisis of
identity in relation to their past. After their conversion to Jesus,
they continued to live according to their old traditions and frequented
the synagogue, together with their relatives and friends, just as
before. But they suffered because of the strong pressure from their
Jewish friends who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. This tension
grew after the year 70 AD. When in 66 AD the revolt of the Jews against
Rome broke out, two groups refused to take part, the Pharisees and the
Jewish Christians. Both groups held that going against Rome had nothing
to do with the coming of the Messiah, as some thought. After the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70, all the other
Jewish groups disappeared. Only the Pharisees and the Jewish Christians
remained. Both groups claimed to be the heirs of the promise of the
prophets and, thus, the tension grew between brothers, because of the
inheritance. The Pharisees reorganised the rest of the people and took
an ever-stronger position against the Christians, who ended by being
excommunicated from the synagogues. This excommunication rekindled the
whole problem of identity. Now the Christians were officially and
formally separated from the people of the promise. They could no longer
frequent their synagogue, their rabbis. And they asked themselves: Who
are the real people of God: they or us? On whose side is God? Is Jesus
really the Messiah?
Thus, Matthew writes his Gospel (1) for
this group of Christians, as a Gospel of consolation for those who had
been excommunicated and persecuted by the Jews; helping them to overcome
the trauma of breaking away; (2) as a Gospel of revelation, showing
that Jesus is the true Messiah, the new Moses, who fulfils the promises;
(3) as a Gospel of the new practice, showing how they must achieve true
justice, greater than the justice of the Pharisees.
ii) A key to the Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is the first of
five sermons in Matthew’s Gospel. It describes the conditions that will
allow a person to enter the Kingdom of God: the way in, the new reading
of the law, the new way of looking at and practising the works of mercy;
the new way of living in community. In a word, in the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus communicates the new way of looking at the things of Life
and the Kingdom. The following is a division that serves as a key to
reading:
Mt 5:1-16: The way in
Mt 5:1-10: The eight Beatitudes help us
to see where the kingdom is already present (Mt among the poor and
persecuted) and where it will be soon (Mt among the other six groups).
Mt 5:12-16: Jesus addresses his words of
consolation to his disciples and warns: anyone who lives the beatitudes
will be persecuted (Mt 5:11-12), but his or her life will have meaning
because he/she will be the salt of the earth (Mt 5:13) and the light of
the world (Mt 5:14-16).
Mt 5:17-to-6:18: The new relationship with God: A new Justice
Mt 5:17-48: The new justice must be greater than that of the Pharisees
Jesus radicalises the law, that is, he
brings it back to its roots, to its main and ultimate purpose which is
to serve life, justice, love and truth. The commandments of the law
point to a new way of life, avoided by the Pharisees (Mt 5:17-20).
Jesus immediately presents various
examples as to how the commandments of the Law of God given to Moses are
to be understood: of old it was said, but I say to you (Mt 5:21-48)
Mt 6:1-18: The new justice must not seek reward or merit (This is the Gospel of this Ash Wednesday).
Mt 6:19-34: The new relationship to the goods of this world: a new vision of creation
Jesus comes to grips with the primary
needs of life: food, clothing, house and health. This is the part of
life that causes most anxiety in people. Jesus teaches how to relate to
material goods and to the riches of the world: do not accumulate goods
(Mt 6:19-21), do not look at the world with sad eyes (Mt 6:22-23), do
not serve God and money at the same time (Mt 6:24), do not worry about
food and drink (Mt 6:23-34).
Mt 7:1-29: The new relationship with people: a new life in community
Do not seek the straw in your brother’s
eye (Mt 7:1-5); do not cast pearls before swine (Mt 7:6); Do not be
afraid of asking for things from God (Mt 7:7-11); observe the golden
rule (Mt 7:12); seek the narrow and difficult path (Mt 7:13-14); be wary
of false prophets (Mt 7:15-20); do not just talk but do (Mt 7:21-23);
the community built on these principles will stand in spite of raging
storms (Mt 7:24-27). The outcome of these words is a new awareness in
the face of the scribes and doctors (Mt 7:28-29).
6. Prayer in a Psalm: Psalm 40 (39)
Proclaiming the great justice of God
I waited, I waited for Yahweh,
then he stooped to me and heard my cry for help.
He pulled me up from the seething chasm,
from the mud of the mire.
He set my feet on rock,
and made my footsteps firm.
He put a fresh song in my mouth,
praise of our God.
Many will be awestruck at the sight,
and will put their trust in Yahweh.
then he stooped to me and heard my cry for help.
He pulled me up from the seething chasm,
from the mud of the mire.
He set my feet on rock,
and made my footsteps firm.
He put a fresh song in my mouth,
praise of our God.
Many will be awestruck at the sight,
and will put their trust in Yahweh.
How blessed are those who put their trust in Yahweh,
who have not sided with rebels
and those who have gone astray in falsehood.
How much you have done, Yahweh, my God
your wonders, your plans for us -- you have no equal.
I will proclaim and speak of them;
they are beyond number.
who have not sided with rebels
and those who have gone astray in falsehood.
How much you have done, Yahweh, my God
your wonders, your plans for us -- you have no equal.
I will proclaim and speak of them;
they are beyond number.
You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering,
but you gave me an open ear,
you did not ask for burnt offering or sacrifice for sin;
then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming.'
In the scroll of the book it is written of me,
my delight is to do your will;
your law, my God, is deep in my heart.
but you gave me an open ear,
you did not ask for burnt offering or sacrifice for sin;
then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming.'
In the scroll of the book it is written of me,
my delight is to do your will;
your law, my God, is deep in my heart.
I proclaimed the saving justice of Yahweh in the great assembly.
See, I will not hold my tongue,
as you well know.
I have not kept your saving justice locked in the depths of my heart,
but have spoken of your constancy and saving help.
I have made no secret of your faithful and steadfast love,
in the great assembly.
See, I will not hold my tongue,
as you well know.
I have not kept your saving justice locked in the depths of my heart,
but have spoken of your constancy and saving help.
I have made no secret of your faithful and steadfast love,
in the great assembly.
You, Yahweh, have not withheld your tenderness from me;
your faithful and steadfast love will always guard me.
For troubles surround me,
until they are beyond number;
my sins have overtaken me;
I cannot see my way.
They outnumber the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
Be pleased, Yahweh, to rescue me,
your faithful and steadfast love will always guard me.
For troubles surround me,
until they are beyond number;
my sins have overtaken me;
I cannot see my way.
They outnumber the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails me.
Be pleased, Yahweh, to rescue me,
Yahweh, come quickly and help me!
Shame and dismay to all who seek to take my life.
Back with them,
let them be humiliated who delight in my misfortunes.
Let them be aghast with shame,
those who say to me, 'Aha, aha!'
But joy and happiness in you to all who seek you!
Let them ceaselessly cry,
'Great is Yahweh' who love your saving power.
Poor and needy as I am,
the Lord has me in mind.
You, my helper, my Saviour, my God, do not delay.
Shame and dismay to all who seek to take my life.
Back with them,
let them be humiliated who delight in my misfortunes.
Let them be aghast with shame,
those who say to me, 'Aha, aha!'
But joy and happiness in you to all who seek you!
Let them ceaselessly cry,
'Great is Yahweh' who love your saving power.
Poor and needy as I am,
the Lord has me in mind.
You, my helper, my Saviour, my God, do not delay.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that
has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your
Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that
which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not
only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with
the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Fra Angelico
Patron Saint: n/a
Attributes: n/a
 |
| Selfportrait of Luca Signorelli (left) with Fra Angelico |
In 1982 Pope John Paul II conferred beatification,[4] in recognition of the holiness of his life, thereby making the title of "Blessed" official. Fiesole is sometimes misinterpreted as being part of his formal name, but it was merely the name of the town where he took his vows as a Dominican friar, and was used by contemporaries to separate him from other Fra Giovannis. He is listed in the Roman Martyrology[5] as Beatus Ioannes Faesulanus, cognomento Angelicus—"Blessed Giovanni of Fiesole, nicknamed Angelico".
Vasari wrote of Fra Angelico:
But it is impossible to bestow too much praise on this holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said and whose pictures were painted with such facility and piety.[2]
Biography
Early life, 1395–1436
The Virgin of the Annunciation
According to Vasari, Fra Angelico initially received training as an illuminator, possibly working with his older brother Benedetto who was also a Dominican and an illuminator. San Marco in Florence holds several manuscripts that are thought to be entirely or partly by his hand.[2] The painter Lorenzo Monaco may have contributed to his art training, and the influence of the Sienese school is discernible in his work. He had several important charges in the convents he lived in, but this did not limit his art, which very soon became famous. According to Vasari, the first paintings of this artist were an altarpiece and a painted screen for the Carthusian Monastery of Florence; none such exist there now.[2]
From 1408 to 1418 Fra Angelico was at the Dominican friary of Cortona where he painted frescoes, now destroyed, in the Dominican Church and may have been assistant to or follower of Gherardo Starnina.[9] Between 1418 and 1436 he was at the convent of Fiesole where he also executed a number of frescoes for the church, and the Altarpiece, deteriorated but restored. A predella of the Altarpiece remains intact in the National Gallery, London which is a superb example of Fra Angelico's ability. It shows Christ in Glory, surrounded by more than 250 figures, including beatified Dominicans.
San Marco, Florence, 1436–1445
The Maestà (Madonna enthroned) with
Saints Cosmas and Damian, Saint Mark and Saint John, Saint Lawrence and
three Dominicans, Saint Dominic, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Peter
Martyr; San Marco, Florence
In 1439 he completed one of his most famous works, the Altarpiece for St. Marco's, Florence. The result was unusual for its times. Images of the enthroned Madonna and Child surrounded by saints were common, but they usually depicted a setting that was clearly heavenlike, in which saints and angels hovered about as divine presences rather than people. But in this instance, the saints stand squarely within the space, grouped in a natural way as if they were able to converse about the shared experience of witnessing the Virgin in glory. Paintings such as this, known as Sacred Conversations, were to become the major commissions of Giovanni Bellini, Perugino and Raphael.[10]
The Vatican, 1445–1455
The Crucified Christ
From 1447 to 1449 he was back at the Vatican, designing the frescoes for the Niccoline Chapel for Nicholas V. The scenes from the lives of the two martyred deacons of the Early Christian Church, St. Stephen and St. Lawrence may have been executed wholly or in part by assistants. The small chapel, with its brightly frescoed walls and gold leaf decorations gives the impression of a jewel box. From 1449 until 1452, Fra Angelico was back at his old convent of Fiesole, where he was the Prior.[2][12]
Death and beatification
Tomb of Fra Angelico, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome
Pope John Paul II beatified Fra Angelico on October 3, 1982 and in 1984 declared him patron of Catholic artists.[4]When singing my praise, don't liken my talents to those of Apelles.
Say, rather, that, in the name of Christ, I gave all I had to the poor.
The deeds that count on Earth are not the ones that count in Heaven.
I, Giovanni, am the flower of Tuscany.—Translation of epitaph[2]
Angelico was reported to say "He who does Christ's work must stay with Christ always". This motto earned him the epithet "Blessed Angelico", because of the perfect integrity of his life and the almost divine beauty of the images he painted, to a superlative extent those of the Blessed Virgin Mary.—Pope John Paul II
From various accounts of Fra Angelico's life, it is possible to gain some sense of why he was deserving of canonization. He led the devout and ascetic life of a Dominican friar, and never rose above that rank; he followed the dictates of the order in caring for the poor; he was always good-humored. All of his many paintings were of divine subjects, and it seems that he never altered or retouched them, perhaps from a religious conviction that, because his paintings were divinely inspired, they should retain their original form. He was wont to say that he who illustrates the acts of Christ should be with Christ. It is averred that he never handled a brush without fervent prayer and he wept when he painted a Crucifixion. The Last Judgment and the Annunciation were two of the subjects he most frequently treated.—William Michael Rossetti[12]
Artistic History
Background
Fra Angelico was working at a time when the style of painting was in a state of change. This process of change had begun a hundred years previous with the works of Giotto and several of his contemporaries, notably Giusto de' Menabuoi, both of whom had created their major works in Padua, although Giotto was trained in Florence by the great Gothic artist, Cimabue, and painted a fresco cycle of St Francis in the Bardi Chapel in the Basilica di Santa Croce. Giotto had many enthusiastic followers, who imitated his style in fresco, some of them, notably the Lorenzetti, achieving great success.[10]Patronage
San Marco, Florence,The Day of Judgement, upper panel of an altarpiece. It shows the precision, detail and colour required in a commissioned work
Contemporaries
Fra Angelico was the contemporary of Gentile da Fabriano. Gentile's altarpiece of the Adoration of the Magi, 1423, in the Uffizi is regarded as one of the greatest works of the style known as International Gothic. At the time it was painted, another young artist, known as Masaccio, was working on the frescoes for the Brancacci Chapel at the church of the Carmine. Masaccio had fully grasped the implications of the art of Giotto. Few painters in Florence saw his sturdy, lifelike and emotional figures and were not affected by them. His work partner was an older painter, Masolino, of the same generation as Fra Angelico. Sadly Masaccio died at 27, leaving the work unfinished.[10]Altarpieces
The works of Fra Angelico reveal elements that are both conservatively Gothic and progressively Renaissance. In the altarpiece of the Coronation of the Virgin, painted for the Florentine church of Santa Maria Novella, are all the elements that a very expensive altarpiece of the 14th century was expected to provide- a precisely tooled gold background, lots of azure, lots of vermilion and an obvious display of arsenic green. The workmanship of the gilded haloes and gold-edged robes is exquisite and all very Gothic. What make this a Renaissance painting, as against Gentile da Fabriano's masterpiece, is the solidity, the three-dimensionality and naturalism of the figures and the realistic way in which their garments hang or drape around them. Even though it is clouds these figures stand upon, and not the earth, they do so with weight.[10]Frescoes
The Transfiguration shows the directness, simplicity and
restrained palette typical of these frescoes. Located in a monk's cell
at the Convent San' Marco, its apparent purpose is to encourage private
devotion.
Masaccio ventured into perspective with his creation of a realistically painted niche at Santa Maria Novella. Subsequently, Fra Angelico demonstrated an understanding of linear perspective particularly in his Annunciation paintings set inside the sort of arcades that Michelozzo and Brunelleschi created at San’ Marco's and the square in front of it.[10]
Lives of the Saints
Saint Lawrence Receives the Treasures of the Church (1447), in the Vatican, incorporates the expensive pigments, gold leaf and elaborate design typical of Vatican commissions.
In their bearing and expression, the saints painted by Fra Angelico come nearer to the truth than the figures done by any other artist.[2]It is probable that much of the actual painting was done by his assistants to his design. Both Benozzo Gozzoli and Gentile da Fabriano were highly accomplished painters. Benozzo took his art further towards the fully developed Renaissance style with his expressive and lifelike portraits in his masterpiece of the Journey of the Magi, painted in the Medici's private chapel at their palazzo.[15]
Artistic legacy
Through Fra Angelico's pupil Benozzo Gozzoli's careful portraiture and technical expertise in the art of fresco we see a link to Domenico Ghirlandaio, who in turn painted extensive schemes for the wealthy patrons of Florence, and through Ghirlandaio to his pupil Michelangelo and the High Renaissance.Apart from the lineal connection, superficially there may seem little to link the humble priest with his sweetly pretty Madonnas and timeless Crucifixions to the dynamic expressions of Michelangelo's larger-than-life creations. But both these artists received their most important commissions from the wealthiest and most powerful of all patrons, the Vatican.
When Michelangelo took up the Sistine Chapel commission, he was working within a space that had already been extensively decorated by other artists. Around the walls the Life of Christ and Life of Moses were depicted by a range of artists including his teacher Ghirlandaio, Raphael's teacher Perugino and Botticelli. They were works of large scale and exactly the sort of lavish treatment to be expected in a Vatican commission, vying with each other in complexity of design, number of figures, elaboration of detail and skilful use of gold leaf. Above these works stood a row of painted Popes in brilliant brocades and gold tiaras. None of these splendours have any place in the work which Michelangelo created. Michelangelo, when asked by Pope Julius II to ornament the robes of the Apostles in the usual way, responded that they were very poor men.[10]
Within the cells of San’Marco, Fra Angelico had demonstrated that painterly skill and the artist's personal interpretation were sufficient to create memorable works of art, without the expensive trappings of blue and gold. In the use of the unadorned fresco technique, the clear bright pastel colours, the careful arrangement of a few significant figures and the skilful use of expression, motion and gesture, Michelangelo showed himself to be the artistic descendant of Fra Angelico. Frederick Hartt describes Fra Angelico as "prophetic of the mysticism" of painters such as Rembrandt, El Greco and Zurbarán.[10]
Artwork
Early works, 1408–1436
Virgin and Child with Saints, detail, Fiesole (1428–1430)
- Annunciation (c. 1430) – Diocesan Museum, Cortona
- Altarpiece - Coronation of the Virgin, with predellas of Miracles of St Dominic, Louvre, Paris
- Virgin and Child between Saints Thomas Aquinas, Barnabas, Dominic and Peter Martyr (1424) - Church of San Domenico, Fiesole
- Predella - Christ in Majesty, National Gallery, London.
- Deposition of Christ, said by Vasari to have been "painted by a saint or an angel". Now in the National Museum of San Marco, Florence.
- Coronation of the Virgin (c. 1432), Uffizi, Florence
- Coronation of the Virgin (c. 1434-1435), Louvre, Paris
- Last Judgement, Accademia, Florence
- Altarpiece - Coronation of the Virgin, Uffizi.
San Marco, Florence, 1436–1445
One of several versions of The Annunciation is located in St Mark's Convent.
- Altarpiece for chancel – Virgin with Saints Cosmas and Damian, attended by Saints Dominic, Peter, Francis, Mark, John Evangelist and Stephen. Cosmas and Damian were patrons of the Medici; the altarpiece was commissioned in 1438 by Cosimo de' Medici. It was removed and disassembled during the renovation of the convent church in the seventeenth century.
- Altarpiece ? – Madonna and Child with twelve Angels (life sized); Uffizi.
- Altarpiece – The Annunciation
- San Marco Altarpiece
- Two versions of the Crucifixion with St Dominic; in the Cloister
- Very large Crucifixion with Virgin and 20 saints; in the Chapter House
- The Annunciation; at the top of the Dormitory stairs. This is probably the most reproduced of all Fra Angelico's paintings.
- Virgin enthroned with Four Saints; in the Dormitory passage
Each cell is decorated with a fresco which matches in size and shape the single round-headed window beside it. The frescoes are apparently for contemplative purpose. They are have a pale, serene, unearthly beauty. Many of Fra Angelico's finest and most reproduced works are among them. There are, particularly in the inner row of cells, some of less inspiring quality and of more repetitive subject, perhaps completed by assistants.[10] Many pictures include Dominican saints as witnesses, allowing the friar using the cell to place himself in the scene.
- The Adoration of the Magi
- The Transfiguration
- Noli me Tangere
- The three Marys at the tomb.
- The Road to Emmaus, with two Dominicans as the disciples
- There are many versions of the Crucifixion
- The Mocking of Christ
Late works, 1445–1455
Orvieto Cathedral
Three segments of the ceiling in the Cappella Nuova, with the assistance of Benozzo Gozzoli.
- Christ in Glory
- The Virgin Mary
- The Apostles
Niccoline Chapel
The Chapel of Pope Nicholas V, at the Vatican, was probably painted with much assistance from Benozzo Gozzoli and Gentile da Fabriano. The entire surface of wall and ceiling is sumptuously painted. There is much gold leaf for borders and decoration, and a great use of brilliant blue made from lapis lazuli.
- The life of St Stephen
- The life of St Lawrence
- The Four Evangelists.
Discovery of lost works
Worldwide press coverage reported in November 2006 that two missing masterpieces by Fra Angelico had turned up, having hung in the spare room of the late Jean Preston, in her "modest terrace house" in Oxford, England. Her father had bought them for £100 each in 1965 then bequeathed them to her when he died in 1974. Jean had been consulted by their then owner in her capacity as an expert medievalist. She recognised them as being high quality Florentine renaissance, but it never occurred to anyone, even all the dealers she approached on behalf of the owner, that they could possibly be by Fra Angelico. They were finally identified in 2005 by Michael Liversidge of Bristol University. There was almost no demand at all for medieval art during the 1960s and no dealers showed any interest, so her father bought them almost as an afterthought along with some manuscripts. Ironically the manuscripts turned out to be high quality Victorian forgeries by The Spanish Forger. The paintings are two of eight side panels of a large altarpiece painted in 1439 for Fra Angelico's monastery at San Marco, but split up by Napoleon's army 200 years ago. While the centre section is still at the monastery, the other six small panels are in German and US museums. These two panels were presumed lost forever. The Italian Government had hoped to purchase them but they were outbid at auction on 20 April 2007 by a private collector for £1.7M. Both panels are now restored and exhibited in the San Marco Museum in Florence.[17][18]References
- Holweck, F. G., A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1924.
- Saint Alexis Falconieri at Patron Saints Index
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Alexis Falconieri". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
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Today's Snippet I: Tradition of Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar. Occurring 46 days before Easter, it is a moveable fast that can fall as early as February 4 and as late as March 10.
According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan.[2][3] Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting. Of the 46 days until Easter, six are Sundays. As the christian sabbath, Sundays are not included in the fasting period and are instead "feast" days during Lent [4].
Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a reminder and celebration of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered from the burning of the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday.[5] This practice is common in much of Christendom, being observed mainly by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Methodists.[6][7]
Ritual
At Masses and services of worship on this day, ashes are imposed on the foreheads of the faithful (or on the tonsure spots, in the case of some clergy). The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson, marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes in the sign of the cross, which the worshipper traditionally retains until it wears off. The act echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ashes over one's head to signify repentance before God (as related in the Bible). The priest or minister says one or both of the following when applying the ashes:Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.—Genesis 3:19
The liturgical imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a sacramental, not a sacrament, and in the Catholic understanding of the term the ashes themselves are also a sacramental. The ashes are blessed according to various rites proper to each liturgical tradition, sometimes involving the use of Holy Water. In some churches, they are mixed with a small amount of water[8] or olive oil,[9] which serve as a fixative. In most liturgies for Ash Wednesday, the Penitential psalms are read; Psalm 51 (LXX Psalm 50) is especially associated with this day.[10] The service also often includes a corporate confession rite.Repent, and believe the Gospel.—Mark 1:15
In some of the low church traditions, other practices are sometimes added or substituted, as other ways of symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. For example, in one common variation, small cards are distributed to the congregation on which people are invited to write a sin they wish to confess. These small cards are brought forth to the altar table where they are burned.[11]
In the Catholic Church, ashes, being sacramentals, may be given to anyone who wishes to receive them,[12][13] as opposed to Catholic sacraments, which are generally reserved for church members, except in cases of grave necessity.[14][15] Similarly, in other Christian denominations ashes may be received by all who profess the Christian faith and are baptized.[16]
In the Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is observed by fasting, abstinence from meat, and repentance—a day of contemplating one's transgressions. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer also designates Ash Wednesday as a day of fasting. In the medieval period, Ash Wednesday was the required annual day of penitential confession occurring after fasting and the remittance of the tithe. In other Christian denominations these practices are optional, with the main focus being on repentance. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 (whose health enables them to do so) are permitted to consume only one full meal, which may be supplemented by two smaller meals, which together should not equal the full meal. Some Catholics will go beyond the minimum obligations demanded by the Church and undertake a complete fast or a bread and water fast.
Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also days of abstinence from meat (mammals and fowl), as are all Fridays during Lent.[17] Some Catholics continue fasting throughout Lent, as was the Church's traditional requirement,[18] concluding only after the celebration of the Easter Vigil.
As the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday comes the day after Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the last day of the Carnival season.
Biblical significance
"Ash Wednesday" by Carl Spitzweg: the end of Carnival.
Other examples are found in several other books of the Bible including, Numbers 19:9, 19:17, Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21, and Luke 10:13, and Hebrews 9:13. Ezekiel 9 also speaks of a linen-clad messenger marking the forehead of the city inhabitants that have sorrow over the sins of the people. All those without the mark are destroyed.
It marks the start of a 43-day period which is an allusion to the separation of Jesus in the desert to fast and pray. During this time he was tempted. Matthew 4:1–11, Mark 1:12–13, and Luke 4:1–13.[19] While not specifically instituted in the Bible text, the 40-day period of repentance is also analogous to the 40 days during which Moses repented and fasted in response to the making of the Golden calf. (Jews today follow a 40-day period of repenting in preparation for and during the High Holy Days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur.)
In Victorian England, theatres refrained from presenting costumed shows on Ash Wednesday, so they provided other entertainments
References
- ^ "Prayers and Reflections- buying ash from the Holy Land". Ash Wednesday. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
- ^ "What is Lent and why does it last forty days?". The United Methodist Church. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
- ^ "The Liturgical Year". The Anglican Catholic Church. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent
- ^ Ellsworth Kalas. Preaching the Calendar: Celebrating Holidays and Holy Days. Westminster John Knox Press. Retrieved 8 March 2011. "We are wise, therefore to explain, whether in the course of the homily or in the church bulletin or newsletter, something of the meaning of the day: of ashes as an ancient symbol of loss and repentance; of the historic words spoken during the imposition of the ashes, "Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return"; of the practice in many religious communions of using ashes made from the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday; and, of course, that the imposition of ashes is a sign of mourning and repentance."
- ^ William P. Lazarus, Mark Sullivan. Comparative Religion For Dummies. For Dummies. Retrieved 8 March 2011. "This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represent repentance before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian liturgies, among others."
- ^ Sylvia A. Sweeney. An Ecofeminist Perspective on Ash Wednesday and Lent. Peter Lang. Retrieved 8 March 2011. "In the twentieth century, the imposition of ashes became part of the liturgical experience of not only Roman Catholics, but Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans as well."
- ^ Ford, Penny. "Lent 101". Upper Room Ministries.
- ^ "Lent and Easter". The Diocese of London. 17 March 2004.
- ^ Psalm 51 is the Ash Wednesday reading in both the Revised Common Lectionary and The Catholic Lectionary.
- ^ "What is the significance of ashes being placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday?". The United Methodist Church.
- ^ "Responses to frequently asked questions regarding Lenten practices". Catholics United for the Faith.
- ^ Code of Canon Law, canon 1170
- ^ Donovan, Colin B.. "Communion of Non-Catholics or Intercommunion". Eternal Word Television Network.
- ^ 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 844
- ^ "Pastor's Message: Ash Wednesday, An Invitation To Lent". First United Methodist Church. 28 February 2001.
- ^ 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 1251
- ^ 1917 Code of Canon Law, canon 1252 §§2–3
- ^ "Lent with Jesus in the desert to fight the spirit of evil". Asia News.it. 3 May 2006. "Turning to the gospel of the day, which is about Jesus' 40 days in the desert, "where he overcame the temptations of Satan" (cfr Mk 1:12–13), Pope Benedict XVI exhorted Christians to follow "their Teacher and Lord… to face together with Him 'the struggle against the spirit of evil'." He said: "The desert is rather an eloquent metaphor of the human condition.""
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Today's Snippet II: Tradition of Lent
Lent (Latin: Quadragesima)
is a solemn observance in the liturgical year of many Christian
denominations, lasting for a period of approximately six weeks leading
up to Easter Sunday. In the general Latin-rite and most Western
denominations Lent is taken to run from Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday
(Holy Thursday) morning or to Easter Eve.
The
traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through
prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its
institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy
Week, marking the death and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the
events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in
the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
During
Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types
of luxuries as a form of penitence. The Stations of the Cross, a
devotional commemoration of Christ's carrying the Cross and of his
execution, are often observed. Many Roman Catholic and some Protestant
churches devoid their altars of flowers, while crucifixes,
religious statues, and other elaborate religious paraphernalia are
often veiled in violet fabrics in solemn observance of this event. In
certain pious Catholic countries, the consumption of meat is
traditionally yet varyingly[1]
self-abstained by the faithful, while grand religious processions and
cultural customs are observed, and the faithful attempt to visit seven
churches during Holy Week in honor of Jesus Christ heading to Mount
Calvary.
Lent
is traditionally described as lasting for forty days, in commemoration
of the forty days which, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and
Luke, Jesus spent fasting in the desert before the beginning of his
public ministry, where he endured temptation by the Devil.[2][3] However, different Christian denominations
calculate the forty days of Lent differently. In most Western
traditions the Sundays are not counted as part of Lent; thus the period
from Ash Wednesday until Easter consists of 40 days when the Sundays are
excluded. However in the Roman Catholic Church
Lent is now taken to end on Holy Thursday rather than Easter Eve, and
hence lasts 38 days excluding Sundays, or 44 days in total.
This
event, along with its pious customs are observed by Catholics,
Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Mennonites. [4][5][6]
Duration
Typical
Western Lent in March/April 2011, with days labelled. Precise
dates vary each year, and start/end days vary by denomination. The last
three weeks are duplicated at the bottom to show Passiontide, the Holy
Week, and the Easter Triduum. See Great Lent for Lent in Eastern
Christianity.
Most
followers of Western Christianity observe Lent beginning on Ash
Wednesday, and concluding on Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday)[3][7] or on Easter Eve.[8] The six Sundays in this period are often not regarded as being part of the observance (being termed Sundays in, rather than of, Lent), because each one represents a "mini-Easter," a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death.[2]
One
notable exception is the Archdiocese of Milan, which follows the
Ambrosian Rite and observes Lent starting on the Sunday six weeks before
Easter, a move liturgically approved by Pope Gregory the Great.[9][10]
Since
the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church has redefined
Good Friday into Holy Saturday as the first two days of the Easter
Triduum rather than the last two days of Lent, but Lenten observances
are maintained until the Easter Vigil.
In
those churches which follow the Rite of Constantinople (e.g. Eastern
Orthodox and Eastern Catholics),
the forty days of Lent are counted differently; also, the date of
Easter is calculated differently in the East than in the West (see
Computus). The fast begins on Clean Monday,
and Sundays are included in the count; thus, counting uninterruptedly
from Clean Monday, Great Lent ends on the fortieth consecutive day,
which is the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday,
Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting.
For more detailed information about the Eastern Christian practice of
Lent, see the article Great Lent.
Among
Oriental Orthodox Catholics, there are various local traditions
regarding Lent. The Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo
Churches observe eight weeks of Lent, which, with both Saturdays and
Sundays exempt, has forty days of fasting.[9]
The first seven days of the fast are considered by some to be an
optional time of preparation. Others attribute these seven days to the
fast of Holofernes who asked the Syrian Christians to fast for him after
they requested his assistance to repel the invading pagan Persians.
Joyous Saturday and the week preceding it are counted separately from
the forty day fast in accordance with the Apostolic Constitutions giving
an extra eight days.
The
number forty has many Biblical references: the forty days Moses spent
on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18); the forty days and nights Elijah
spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); the forty days and nights
God sent rain in the great flood of Noah (Genesis 7:4); the forty years
the Hebrew people wandered in the desert while traveling to the Promised
Land (Numbers 14:33); the forty days Jonah gave in his prophecy of
judgment to the city of Nineveh in which to repent or be destroyed
(Jonah 3:4).
Jesus
retreated into the wilderness, where He fasted for forty days, and was
tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1–2, Mark 1:12–13, Luke 4:1–2). He
overcame all three of Satan's temptations by citing scripture to the
devil, at which point the devil left Him, angels ministered to Jesus,
and He began His ministry. Jesus further said that His disciples should
fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them" (Matthew 9:15),
a reference to his Passion. Since, presumably, the Apostles fasted as
they mourned the death of Jesus, Christians have traditionally fasted
during the annual commemoration of his burial.
It is the traditional belief that Jesus lay for forty hours in the tomb[9] which led to the forty hours of total fast that preceded the Easter celebration in the early Church[11] (the biblical reference to 'three days in the tomb' is understood as spanning
three days, from Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning, rather than
three 24 hour periods of time). One of the most important ceremonies at
Easter was the baptism of the initiates on Easter Eve. The fast was
initially undertaken by the catechumens to prepare them for the
reception of this sacrament. Later, the period of fasting from Good
Friday
until Easter Day was extended to six days, to correspond with the six
weeks of training, necessary to give the final instruction to those
converts who were to be baptized.
Converts
to Catholicism followed a strict catechumenate or period of instruction
and discipline prior to baptism. In Jerusalem
near the close of the fourth century, classes were held throughout Lent
for three hours each day. With the legalization of Christianity (by the
Edict of Milan) and its later imposition as the state religion of the
Roman Empire, its character was endangered by the great influx of new
members. In response, the Lenten fast and practices of self-renunciation
were required annually of all Christians, both to show solidarity with
the catechumens, and for their own spiritual benefit.
Etymology
In Latin the term quadragesima (translation of the original Greek Τεσσαρακοστή, Tessarakostē,
the "fortieth" day before Easter) is used. This nomenclature is
preserved in Romance, Slavic and Celtic languages (for example, Spanish cuaresma, Portuguese quaresma, French carême, Italian quaresima, Romanian păresimi, Croatian korizma, Irish Carghas, and Welsh C(a)rawys). However in most Slavic languages the common name is simply a phrase meaning "fasting time" (as Czech postní doba) or "great fast" (as Russian великий пост vyeliki post). In Tagalog, the name retains from its Spanish wording Cuaresma while the local wording uses "Mahal na Araw" or "Beloved Days".
In the late Middle Ages, as sermons began to be given in the vernacular instead of Latin, the English word lent was adopted. This word initially simply meant spring (as in the German language Lenz and Dutch lente) and derives from the Germanic root for long because in the spring the days visibly lengthen.[12]
Associated customs
There
are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both
from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three
traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are
prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and
almsgiving
(justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of
theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give
the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or
organizations.[13]
In many liturgical Christian denominations, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday form the Easter Triduum.[14]
Lent is a season of grief that necessarily ends with a great
celebration of Easter. It is known in Eastern Orthodox circles as the
season of "Bright Sadness." It is a season of sorrowful reflection which
is punctuated by breaks in the fast on Sundays.
In the Roman Catholic Mass, Lutheran Divine Service, and Anglican Eucharist, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo
is not sung during the Lenten season, disappearing on Ash Wednesday and
not returning until the moment of the Resurrection during the Easter Vigil. On major feast days, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo
is recited, but this in no way diminishes the penitential character of
the season; it simply reflects the joyful character of the Mass of the
day in question. It is also used in the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Likewise, the Alleluia
is not sung during Lent; it is replaced before the Gospel reading by a
seasonal acclamation. In the pre-1970 form of the Roman Rite omission of
the Alleluia begins with Septuagesima. In the Byzantine Rite,
the Gloria (Great Doxology) continues to be used in its normal place in
the Matins service, and the Alleluia appears all the more frequently,
replacing "God is the Lord" at Matins.
In
pre-1970 forms of the Roman Rite, the last two weeks of Lent are known
as Passiontide, a period beginning on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, which in
the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal
is called the First Sunday in Passiontide and in earlier editions
Passion Sunday. All statues (and in England paintings as well) in the
church were traditionally veiled in violet. This was seen as in keeping
with the Gospel of that Sunday (John 8:46–59), in which Jesus “hid
himself” from the people. The veils were removed at the singing of the
Gloria
during the Easter Vigil. In 1970 the name "Passiontide" was dropped,
although the last two weeks are markedly different from the rest of the
season, and continuance of the tradition of veiling images is left to
the decision of a country's conference of bishops.
Fasting and abstinence
Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. Socrates Scholasticus
reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly
forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl,
others prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some
places, the observant abstained from food for an entire day; others
took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until
mid-afternoon. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from
eating until the evening, when a small meal without vegetables or
alcohol was eaten.
During the early Middle Ages, meat, eggs and dairy products were generally forbidden. Thomas Aquinas
argued that "they afford greater pleasure as food [than fish], and
greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption
there results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when
abundant becomes a great incentive to lust."[15]
However,
dispensations for dairy products were given, frequently for a donation,
from which several churches are popularly believed to have been built,
including the "Butter Tower" of the Rouen Cathedral. In Spain, the bull
of the Holy Crusade (renewed periodically after 1492) allowed the
consumption of dairy products[16] and eggs during Lent in exchange for a contribution to the conflict.
Giraldus Cambrensis in his Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales
reports that "in Germany and the arctic regions," "great and religious
persons," eat the tail of beavers as "fish" because of its superficial
resemblance to "both the taste and colour of fish." The animal was also
very abundant in Wales at the time.[17]
In
current Western societies the practice is considerably relaxed, though
in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches
abstinence from all animal products including fish, eggs, fowl and milk
sourced from animals (e.g. goats and cows as opposed to the milk of soy
beans and coconuts) is still commonly practiced, meaning only
vegetarian (vegan) meals are consumed in many Eastern countries for the
entire fifty-five days of their Lent. In the Roman Catholic
Church for the duration of Lent, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday it is
required to eat less than is customary for the day, with no meat, eating
only one full meal and two small meals also totalling less than a full
meal.[18]
Pursuant to Canon 1253, days of fasting and abstinence are set by the national Episcopal Conference.
Parallel to the fasting laws are the laws of abstinence. These bind
those over the age of fourteen. On days of abstinence, the person must
not eat meat or poultry. According to canon law,
all Fridays of the year, Ash Wednesday and several other days are days
of abstinence, though in most countries, the strict requirements for
abstinence have been limited by the bishops
(in accordance with Canon 1253) to the Fridays of Lent and Ash
Wednesday. On other abstinence days, the faithful are invited to perform
some other act of penance.
Exceptions to abstinence on Fridays during the Lenten Season can
occur through the dispensation of a particular bishop. For example, in
the United States in areas where the diocesan patron is St. Patrick (as
in the Archdiocese of New York) or where many Catholics share an Irish
heritage (as in Boston), if St. Patrick's Day (March 17) falls on a
Friday, the local bishop can grant a dispensation to all Catholics of
the diocese from abstinence. (Approximately one third of all Catholic
dioceses in the United States grant such a dispensation.[19]) More universally, this occurs on the solemnities of St. Joseph and the Annunciation,
which are always 19 and 25 March respectively. If the solemnities (19
March or 25 March), although not Holy Days of Obligation, fall on a
Friday during Lent then the obligation to abstain is abrogated.
Similarly, during those two solemnities, the faithful may temporarily
partake of anything they gave up for Lent, unless they were trying to
give up a habitual sin as their Lenten offering- which is not uncommon.[20]
Contemporary legislation is rooted in the 1966 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI, Paenitemini.
He recommended that fasting be appropriate to the local economic
situation, and that all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. He also
allowed that fasting and abstinence might be substituted with prayer and
works of charity in nations with a lower standard of living.
Traditionally,
on Easter Sunday, Roman Catholics may cease their
fasting and start again whatever they gave up for Lent, after they
attend Mass on Easter Sunday. Orthodox Christians break their fast after
the Paschal Vigil (a service which starts around 11:00 pm on Holy
Saturday), which includes the Paschal celebration of the Divine Liturgy
of St. John Chrysostom.
At the end of the service, the priest blesses eggs, cheese, flesh meats
and other items that the faithful have been abstaining from for the
duration of Great Lent.
Lenten practices (as well as various other liturgical practices) are
less common, and less binding where they exist, among Protestant
Christians.
Facts about Lent
There are several holy days within the season of Lent:
- Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent for Roman Catholics and most mainline Reformed and Protestant traditions.
- Clean Monday (or "Ash Monday") is the first day of Lent in Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
- There is no Ash Wednesday in the Ambrosian Rite, and Lent begins liturgically on what the Roman Rite regards as first Sunday in Lent. Traditionally, the fast began on the first Monday of Lent.
- The Sundays in Lent carry Latin names in German Lutheranism, derived from the beginning of the Sunday's introit. The first is called Invocabit, the second Reminiscere, the third Oculi, the fourth Laetare, the fifth Judica. The sixth Sunday is Palm Sunday.
- The fourth Sunday in Lent, which marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter, is referred to as Laetare Sunday by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and many other Christians because of the traditional Entrance Antiphon of the Mass. Due to the more "joyful" character of the day (since laetare in Latin means "rejoice"), the priest (as well as deacon and subdeacon) has the option of wearing vestments of a rose colour (pink) instead of violet.
- The fourth Lenten Sunday, Mothering Sunday, which has become known as Mother's Day in the United Kingdom and an occasion for honouring mothers of children, has its origin in a sixteenth-century celebration of the Mother Church.
- The fifth Sunday in Lent, also known as Passion Sunday (however, that term is also applied to Palm Sunday) marks the beginning of Passiontide
- The sixth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent immediately preceding Easter
- Wednesday of Holy Week is known as Spy Wednesday to commemorate the days on which Judas spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane before betraying him
- Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians commemorate the Last Supper shared by Christ with his disciples
- The next day is Good Friday, on which Christians remember Jesus' crucifixion and burial
In
the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Old Catholic, and many other
churches, the Easter Triduum
is a three-day event that begins with the entrance hymn of the Mass of
the Lord's Supper. After this Holy Thursday evening celebration, the
consecrated Hosts are taken from the altar solemnly to a place of
reposition where the faithful are invited to worship the holy Body of
Christ.
On the next day the liturgical commemoration of the Passion of Jesus
Christ is celebrated at 3 pm, unless a later time is chosen due to work
schedules. This service consists of readings from the Scriptures
especially John the Evangelist's account of the Passion
of Jesus, followed by prayers, veneration of the cross of Jesus, and a
communion service at which the hosts consecrated at the evening Mass of
the day before are distributed. The Easter Vigil
during the night between Holy Saturday afternoon and Easter Sunday
morning starts with the blessing of a fire and a special candle and with
readings from Scripture associated with baptism, then the Gloria in
Excelsis Deo is sung, water is blessed, baptism and confirmation
of adults may take place, and the people are invited to renew the
promises of their own baptism, and finally Mass is celebrated in the
usual way from the Preparation of the Gifts onwards.
Holy Week and the season of Lent, depending on denomination and local custom,
end with Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday or on the morning of
Easter Sunday. It is custom for some churches to hold sunrise services
which include open air celebrations in some places.
In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and many Anglican churches, the
priest's vestments are violet during the season of Lent. On the fourth
Sunday in Lent, rose-coloured (pink) vestments may be worn in lieu of
violet. In some Anglican churches, a type of unbleached linen or muslin
known as Lenten array is used during the first three weeks of Lent, and
crimson during Passiontide. On holy days, the colour proper to the day
is worn.[21]
Reference
- ^ The traditional practice of abstaining from meat by fasting is marked in numerous pious Catholic countries, ranging from the abstaining of meat for 40 days, during fridays only, or only on Good Friday itself----depending on the pious customs or intensity of fasting.
- ^ "What is Lent and why does it last forty days?". The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
- ^ "The Liturgical Year". The Anglican Catholic Church. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
- ^ Comparative Religion For Dummies. For Dummies. Retrieved 8 March 2011. "This is the day Lent begins. Christians go to church to pray and have a cross drawn in ashes on their foreheads. The ashes drawn on ancient tradition represent repentance before God. The holiday is part of Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian liturgies, among others."
- ^ Sylvia A. Sweeney. An Ecofeminist Perspective on Ash Wednesday and Lent. Peter Lang. Retrieved 8 March 2011. "In the twentieth century, the imposition of ashes became part of the liturgical experience of not only Roman Catholics, but Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans as well."
- ^ Mennonite Stew - A Glossary: Lent. Third Way Café. Retrieved 24 February 2012. "Traditionally, Lent was not observed by the Mennonite church, and only recently have more modern Mennonite churches started to focus on the six week season preceding Easter."
- ^ Thurston, Herbert (1910). "Lent". The Catholic Encyclopedia. IX. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 15 February 2008
- ^ Lent, on the Church of England website
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia – Lent See paragraph: Duration of the Fast
- ^ The "Secret of the Mass" in the First Sunday of Lent - "Sacrificium Quadragesimalis Initii", Missale Romanum Ambrosianus
- ^ Lent & Beyond: Dr. Peter Toon—From Septuagesima to Quadragesima (web site gone, no alternate source found, originally cited 27 August 2010)
- ^ Lent Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ "Lent—disciplines and practices". Spirit Home. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 19". Catholicliturgy.com. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "'''Summa Theologica''' Q147a8". Newadvent.org. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Millennium:Fear and Religion". Archived from the original on 18 August 2002.
- ^ "Baldwin's Itinerary Through Wales No. 2 by Giraldus Cambrensis". Gutenberg.org. 31 December 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ Colin B. Donovan, Fast and Abstinence. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ Engber, Daniel (15 March 2006). "Thou Shalt Eat Corned Beef on Friday: Who Sets the Rules on Lent?". Slate. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ "Canon 1251 of the Code of Canon Law". Vatican.va. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ The Church of England rubric states: "The colour for a particular service should reflect the predominant theme. If the Collect, Readings, etc. on a Lesser Festival are those of the saint, then either red (for a martyr) or white is used; otherwise, the colour of the season is retained."
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Catholic Catechism
Part Three: Life in Christ
Section Two: The Ten Commandments
Chapter Two: Tenth Commandment
Article 10:2-4 The Desires of the Spirit,
Desires of the Heart, I want to See God
and In Brief
CHAPTER TWO
YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS
YOURSELF
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Love one another as I have loved you."1 Jn 13:34
2196
In response to the question about the first of the commandments, Jesus says:
"The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind, and with all your strength.' the second is this, 'You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than
these."2 Mk 12:29-31; cf.
⇒ Deut 6:4-5; ⇒ Lev
19:18; ⇒ Mt 22:34-40;
⇒ Lk 10:25-28
The apostle St. Paul reminds us of this: "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."3 Rom 13:8-10
The apostle St. Paul reminds us of this: "He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."3 Rom 13:8-10
Article 10
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
You shall not covet ... anything that is your neighbor's....
You shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his
manservant, or his maidservant,, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is
your neighbor's.
329
⇒ Gen 3:6.
330 Cf. ⇒ Rom 7:7.
331 ⇒ Rom 7:23; cf. ⇒ 7:10.
332 ⇒ Rom 3:21-22.
333 ⇒ Gal 5:24; cf. ⇒ Rom 8:14, 27
334 ⇒ Lk 14:33; cf. ⇒ Mk 8:35.
335 Cf. ⇒ Lk 21:4.
336 LG 42 # 3.
337 ⇒ Mt 5:3[ETML:C/].
338 Cf. ⇒ Lk 6:20.
339 St. Gregory of Nyssa, De beatitudinibus 1: PG 44, 1200D; cf. ⇒ 2 Cor 8:9.
340 ⇒ Lk 6:24.
341 St. Augustine, De serm. Dom. in monte 1, 1, 3: PL 34, 1232.
342 Cf. ⇒ Mt 6:25-3
II. The Desires of the Spirit
2541
The economy of law and grace turns men's hearts away from avarice and envy. It
initiates them into desire for the Sovereign Good; it instructs them in the
desires of the Holy Spirit who satisfies man's heart. The God of the promises always warned man against seduction by what from the
beginning has seemed "good for food . . . a delight to the eyes . . . to
be desired to make one wise."329
2542
The Law entrusted to Israel never sufficed to justify those subject to it; it
even became the instrument of "lust."330 The gap between
wanting and doing points to the conflict between God's Law which is the
"law of my mind," and another law "making me captive to the law
of sin which dwells in my members."331
2543
"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law,
although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe."332 Henceforth,
Christ's faithful "have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires"; they are led by the Spirit and follow the desires of the
Spirit.333
III. Poverty of Heart
2544
Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone, and bids
them "renounce all that [they have]" for his sake and that of the
Gospel.334 Shortly before his passion he gave them the example of the
poor widow of Jerusalem who, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live
on.335 The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance
into the Kingdom of heaven.
2545
All Christ's faithful are to "direct their affections rightly, lest they
be hindered in their pursuit of perfect charity by the use of worldly things
and by an adherence to riches which is contrary to the spirit of evangelical
poverty."336
2546
"Blessed are the poor in spirit."337 The Beatitudes reveal an
order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace. Jesus celebrates the joy of
the poor, to whom the Kingdom already belongs:338
The Word speaks of voluntary
humility as "poverty in spirit"; the Apostle gives an example of
God's poverty when he says: "For your sakes he became poor."339
2547
The Lord grieves over the rich, because they find their consolation in the
abundance of goods.340 "Let the proud seek and love earthly
kingdoms, but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of
heaven."341 Abandonment to the providence of the Father in heaven
frees us from anxiety about tomorrow.342 Trust in God is a preparation
for the blessedness of the poor. They shall see God.
IV. "I Want to See
God"
2548
Desire for true happiness frees man from his immoderate attachment to the goods
of this world so that he can find his fulfillment in the vision and beatitude
of God. "The promise [of seeing God] surpasses all beatitude.... In Scripture,
to see is to possess.... Whoever sees God has obtained all the goods of which
he can conceive."343
2549
It remains for the holy people to struggle, with grace from on high, to obtain
the good things God promises. In order to possess and contemplate God, Christ's
faithful mortify their cravings and, with the grace of God, prevail over the
seductions of pleasure and power.
2550
On this way of perfection, the Spirit and the Bride call whoever hears them344
to perfect communion with God:
There will true glory be,
where no one will be praised by mistake or flattery; true honor will not be
refused to the worthy, nor granted to the unworthy; likewise, no one unworthy
will pretend to be worthy, where only those who are worthy will be admitted.
There true peace will reign, where no one will experience opposition either
from self or others. God himself will be virtue's reward; he gives virtue and
has promised to give himself as the best and greatest reward that could
exist.... "I shall be their God and they will be my people...." This
is also the meaning of the Apostle's words: "So that God may be all in
all." God himself will be the goal of our desires; we shall contemplate
him without end, love him without surfeit, praise him without weariness. This
gift, this state, this act, like eternal life itself, will assuredly be common
to all.345
IN BRIEF
2551 "Where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also" (⇒ Mt
6:21).
2552 The tenth commandment
forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power.
2553 Envy is sadness at the
sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to have them for oneself. It
is a capital sin.
2554 The baptized person
combats envy through good-will, humility, and abandonment to the providence of
God.
2555 Christ's faithful
"have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires"
(⇒ Gal 5:24); they are led by the Spirit and follow his
desires.
2556 Detachment from riches
is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are the poor in
spirit."
2557 "I want to see
God" expresses the true desire of man. Thirst for God is quenched by the
water of eternal life (cf In 4:14).
330 Cf. ⇒ Rom 7:7.
331 ⇒ Rom 7:23; cf. ⇒ 7:10.
332 ⇒ Rom 3:21-22.
333 ⇒ Gal 5:24; cf. ⇒ Rom 8:14, 27
334 ⇒ Lk 14:33; cf. ⇒ Mk 8:35.
335 Cf. ⇒ Lk 21:4.
336 LG 42 # 3.
337 ⇒ Mt 5:3[ETML:C/].
338 Cf. ⇒ Lk 6:20.
339 St. Gregory of Nyssa, De beatitudinibus 1: PG 44, 1200D; cf. ⇒ 2 Cor 8:9.
340 ⇒ Lk 6:24.
341 St. Augustine, De serm. Dom. in monte 1, 1, 3: PL 34, 1232.
342 Cf. ⇒ Mt 6:25-3
343 St. Gregory of Nyssa, De beatitudinibus 6: PG 44, 1265A.
344 Cf. ⇒ Rev 22:17.
345 St. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 22, 30: PL 41, 801-802; cf. ⇒ Lev 26:12; cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 15:28
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RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion
graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men
and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assistance
of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel
the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I
will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you
joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will
be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will
bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to
your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set
out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this
book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay
It Forward...
Reference
- Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.
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