Patrick March 17 is celebrated as a solemnity. Again, keep in mind that the decision to give up something for Lent is an individual one, and the individual may set the parameters. Originally posted on Test Everything. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Home Articles. The 7 Manliest Men in the Bible. Support ChurchPOP. Leo Hidalgo, Flickr. Do you love ChurchPOP? Get our inspiring content delivered to your inbox - FREE!
Nov 11, Passing on doughnuts in the breakroom doesn't have a tremendous impact on your day. Giving your lunch money to someone in need or to a good cause, however, definitely costs you, because you end up hungry for lunch! That sounds like a terrible proposition, but this is precisely what transforms people. This is what makes the difference between an ordinary soul and a saint. Remember, sainthood is our goal!
Keep that in mind when choosing your sacrifice. And if you've already declared merely chocolate to be your sacrifice, well, keep in mind we live in a world where we are free to change our minds.
You can change your mind and do something different, and you don't have to answer to anyone but yourself and God. My preferred form of Lenten sacrifice is to take on the duties and chores of others. It's fantastic, and sometimes it doesn't even feel like a sacrifice. When I do the laundry or take the kids' turn at the dishes, I can think about my faith, while I work. I literally meditate at the sink as I wash, rinse, and load.
The same as I sweep, mop, vacuum and so on. By devoting that time to family and God, I feel rewarded as a result. It's certainly a sacrifice. I miss television or I miss time online or sitting idle doing whatever I might rather do, but I don't hate it at all. I enjoy the added bonus of gratitude from my family. We can choose to take on extra duties to help others. For some of us, time is worth more than money and is a greater sacrifice. Just make sure whatever you do, you do with a right, prayerful intention.
No, Ash Wednesday isn't a holy day of obligation, but try telling that to your mother and getting away with it. Ash Wednesday is one of the most attended days in the Church, for reasons that remain unclear. Some Catholics mistake it for a day of obligation and go.
Others are motivated by guilt for past behavior, and many are seeking a fresh start. A few attend because everyone else is doing it, and a small minority just want to advertise their Catholicism by wearing ashes all day.
We aren't called to judge any of these people, and what brings others to Mass is nobody's business but their own. We should, however, examine our motivation for going. Yes, it is good and important to attend, even if it is not required.
We should attend Mass with the best intentions. Mass is powerful, it can transform us and change our lives. We don't attend Mass merely because the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Such a miracle would be worthless if it did nothing for us. One reason for the ongoing disagreement for whether or not Sundays are part of Lent is the length of days of the season.
Counting every day from Ash Wednesday until Thursday afternoon of Holy Week the total is forty-four days. Removing the six Sundays drops the count to less than the ideal forty. During the post-Vatican II reorganization of the Liturgical Year and calendar, there was diligence in obeying the instructions from Sacrosanctum Concilium Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy which called for returning the focus of Lent to original charisms and bringing it back to its simplicity.
Some of the reforms were aimed at the lengths of the Pre-Lent and Lent seasons. It was always extremely difficult to preach on it to the people just what meaning do the words Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima have? With the inclusion of Ash Wednesday through Saturday after Wednesday, the season of Lent will never equal exactly forty days, including Sundays or not. The number of days is not really a deciding factor in determining if Sundays are included in Lent.
Another source of confusion is the formerly stringent fast rules throughout all of Lent. In times past, fasting was everyday except Sundays. The Church never required fasting on Sundays, hence this former idea that Sundays were not included in Lent.
Above and beyond the works of abnegation, it calls for a greater openness to the word of God, a great zeal in attending the liturgy and performing works of charity, and a conversion cf. But this traditional view that Sunday should not be dominated by penance does play a large role in understanding the spirit of Sundays even in Lent. Last week I explained how everyone is obligated to do penance, particularly during Lent. The difference between personal penance and the laws of abstinence and fasting is that practicing the former one is not bound by sin.
The Church encourages us to have a spirit of conversion and to rend our hearts and pray, fast and give alms. Here is where the main question expands. Am I obligated to keep up all my penances even on Sunday? The final reason this question is raised about Sundays in Lent is recognizing the special character the Church has always held of Sundays. Hence, Sunday must be considered the primordial feast day. Because of its special importance, the celebration of Sunday gives way only to Solemnities and Feasts of the Lord; indeed, the Sundays of Advent, Lent and Easter have precedence over all Feasts of the Lord and over all Solemnities.
The Code of Canon Law provides our obligations for Sundays:. Sunday, on which by apostolic tradition the paschal mystery is celebrated, must be observed in the universal Church as the primordial holy day of obligation And finally, the passages of Catechism of the Catholic Church describes in more detail about Sundays:. The date changes every year, but usually starts in the latter end of February or early March.
Tradition dictates that observers give up something for the period to demonstrate repentance for their sins, and is observed by Christians from all over the world. Usually, this takes the form of abstaining from enjoying an unhealthy treat such as chocolate, meat, or alcohol. However, Lent is traditionally considered 40 days long, even though the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter is actually 47 days.
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