Dear St. Rita Parishioners,

            Lent is in just a few weeks! Before the Second Vatican Council, this Sunday was called Septuagesima Sunday and began a time sometimes referred to as “Pre-Lent”. The Eastern Catholics Rites have their own version of this time of preparation for the Time of Preparation. In reality, of course, it is never NOT time to prepare for the coming of Christ, and the Church used to remind us liturgically of this truth much more often. We made a much bigger deal of the required Friday penance (still required, though I begrudgingly remind you that outside of Lent you can substitute something other than not eating meat). The quarterly Ember Days of the Church, which more or less marked seasonal changes, were short periods of fasting and abstinence, but these have fallen out of liturgical usage. Vigils are understood by the modern Catholic as celebrating tomorrow’s feast the night before (in accordance with the Jewish tradition of “tomorrow” beginning at sundown the day prior). However, the Church has previously celebrated vigils as fast days – days of preparation for the next day’s feast. The vigil of certain feasts had its own proper Mass, which did not “count” for the next day’s obligation. The vestige of this liturgical practice is found in the fact that on some feasts, still, there is a different set of proper prayers (Antiphons, Collect, Prayer over the Offerings, and Prayer after Communion) for the vigil than for the feast.

            The apparent modern move away from this focus on penance may seem pollyannish and perhaps part of the general, global optimism that is referenced when speaking about the time after World War II and which many in the Church felt during the Second Vatican Council. Whether or not that is true, the shift does make Lent itself stand out a bit more starkly in our minds. Regardless, the point for us here is not to squabble over what the Church did or should have done, but rather to be reminded that penance isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s a necessary thing!

           Our bodies very much tend towards comfort and ease – whether that is a physical, material ease or a “peace of mind” sort of ease. Separately, in a world where mental health questions have become a high priority (including in the Church: see Bishop Burbidge’s Pastoral Letter last week), we recognize that the need for peace runs so deep that it can cause neuroses or other interior difficulties. Penance, it should be noted, is NOT a magical means of fixing my spiritual problems, and especially not any mental health issues. Penance aimed at such fixing can actually make things worse, both spiritually and psychologically. In these cases, penance can often be rooted in the ideas that “I am evil,” “I am broken,” and/or “I deserve this.” The penance in this way becomes a form of reinforcing self-destructive beliefs, of punishing oneself for past sins or failures, and of sadness and pride by relegating to myself the means of my healing and reconciliation with God (usurping Christ’s role!). 

            Penance, then, cannot play that role in our lives. But it is still a necessary thing! So, we have to think about it properly. Every parent knows that if you do not teach your children discipline, they will not grow in virtue. First, then, we can think about penance as a discipline. By discipline, I do NOT mean retaliatory punishment for wrongdoing, but rather training (though often, failure is the best school for this training). Therefore, we set good boundaries and rules not only around things that are sinful, but even around things that are legitimate pleasures (e.g. eating meat on Friday). If I am able to deny myself in legitimate pleasures, when the illegitimate ones present themselves as temptation, I can be more prepared for victory. This is good training. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air, but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor 9:26-27). We know that the body cries out for comfort, even when (especially when?) it is not necessary. We need the discipline of the body for the sake of the discipline of the soul.

            St. Paul also says, however, that “while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way” (1 Tim 4:8). In other words, discipline for discipline’s sake is not the goal. The goal is godliness. Therefore, how we handle the experience of penance as a deprivation or as a denial of a particular desire is also important. If we are only focusing on human discipline, then I can tough it out and accomplish my penance. There is some possibility of weight loss if I fast. But weight loss isn’t the purpose of fasting. I fast because I desire to be filled with Our Lord. I fast because it frees my mind to focus on God and not on earthly realities. I fast because I love God and want to share in His sufferings. I fast because I want to assist another spiritually in turning away from sin and coming to Jesus. 

            Because penance necessarily makes use of our humanity – and the weakness of our humanity at that (otherwise it wouldn’t be penance) – penance is a means of being united to Our Lord at the Cross. “God’s weakness is more powerful than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25). “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10). But, and this is the crux, I must really enter into my weakness, “to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Cor 4:7). Penance is not about accomplishment. It is about love. 

            This truth both helps us to temper our penance and spurs us on to seek it out. It also helps us to think about our daily penances (we need something every day!) and to plan for Lent (Ash Wednesday is February 18). It’s OK that your penance is painful, but making your penance hurt more isn’t necessarily better. The goal isn’t pain for pain’s sake. The goal is Jesus. As we enter into the last few weeks before Lent, then, I encourage you to choose a penance for Lent that will help you to love God and your neighbor more, since that is Divine Charity. Be courageous and be bold, but do not be excessive, do not be proud, and do not be self-destructive. The Lord went to the Cross so that you wouldn’t have to. He got destroyed, so we don’t have to usurp that role. But He also went to the Cross to show us the way there, to be with Him in the place of the Good Thief, carrying our own cross right behind Him, and being placed on it right next to Him. Do not be afraid to go there, because it is no more and no less than the Gate to Heaven. 

In Christ,

Fr. Christensen