Does Lent Matter in Modern Society?

As a small child in a Catholic school, I was encouraged to practice some form of “self-denial” during Lent, the six week period leading up to Easter Sunday; this teaching was reinforced at home where my parents and older siblings observed the prescribed fasting and abstinence- from meat as well as choosing other forms of penance, such as abstaining from alcoholic beverages.  Gradually I absorbed the underlying purpose of Lenten practices – deepening my faith connection to God and understanding the significance of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection for our world, for my own existence.  I also learned that developing will power enabling me to make good choices mattered a great deal. Observing Lenten practices such as fasting and almsgiving taught me to practice control over my selfish tendencies, consider the needs of others, and develop empathy for persons who suffered.  Christians, especially Catholics, Anglicans, and Orthodox churches encourage fasting, almsgiving, and sacrifice during lent.  Many other faiths, e.g., Islam, Judaism, Hinduism prescribe periods and practices of some form of self-denial.  All of these are aimed at making our society better and learning to control our own behaviours.

A recent article in the Globe and Mail about alcohol-free-January, "Dry January", in which the writer described the benefits he experienced in abstaining from alcohol for a month brought back memories of my childhood struggles to refrain from eating candy in lent. Our secular culture today encourages self-indulgence rather than self-denial, as evidenced in advertising, excessive consumerism, and changed norms of sexual behaviour. The results of unrestricted satisfaction of perceived needs has had some undesirable outcomes such as obesity, loneliness, poverty, selfishness, anger, superficiality, mental health and relationship problems.  The “me generation” has an inward focus and little interest in creating a society in which persons, cultures, and nations care for each other.  Proposed remedies are mainly secular rather than spiritual. We have a secular version of self-denial aimed at self-improvement rather than spiritual growth.   Consider practices such as dieting, exercise, alcohol free January, or abstinence from facebook, internet, and cell phone usage.  All of these practices are good in themselves but have limited value in saving our environment, reducing violence, or promoting peace among nations.  We are spiritual, intellectual, and emotional beings. Nourishing the spiritual base of our existence is essential for the welfare of our world.  Lent matters.

- Sister Patricia McKeon, csj

Reframing Fasting, Praying and Almsgiving

Each year, over the years, we have been summoned during the Lenten season to engage more fully in the traditional practices of fasting, praying and almsgiving. How might yours and mine and the lives of others be affected, if during these upcoming forty days of Lent we reframed Lent’s threesome call as an invitation to abstain by becoming more open minded – refraining ourselves from our rash judgements of others, to invoke by becoming more open hearted – creating a more welcoming space for others and to give by becoming more open handed – sharing our gifts and time with others.

-Sister Nancy Wales, csj

Forward to the Fullness of Time

We are quickly moving toward the climatic week of Lent with the great celebration of the Triduum – three holy days, marking the mystery of death and resurrected life. Here in my religious community our Lenten journey has called us to a huge experience of surrender as we have bid farewell to 6 of our Sisters during these Lenten days.

Our hearts ache, and fond memories are related at the meal tables. Prayers of gratitude are voiced and a conviction of faith is expressed in song and gesture.

The scripture readings for this Fifth Sunday of Lent will indeed help us contain this experience. Jeremiah assures us that we are tenderly loved by God, just as we are. Whimsically there is even a promise that we will no longer need to teach our friends and relatives about God – because all will know God. It is that deep, deep sense of loving relationship that holds our community together during this time of loss. The mystery of death is gathered up in the compassionate love of the Holy One who places the stark absence within a promise written on our hearts.

In the gospel passage one person states “Sir, we would like to see Jesus”.  And Jesus responds that to see, one must totally surrender. Just as a grain of wheat dies in order to bear fruit, so too our surrender opens us to an awareness of the One Great LOVE within. The promise is held out: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

As our dear Sisters are drawn home into the heart of God, one by one, our experience as a Congregation widens to hold the tender mystery of Christ’s passage, from being a loving presence among humanity, to a glorified radiance calling us ever forward to the fullness of time.

And with deep gratitude we honour: Sr. Theresa Carmel Slavik, Sr. St. Edward Grace, Sr. Beta Gagnon, Sr. Clare Sullivan, Sr. Nicole Aubé, and Sr. Bernadette Boyde.

Sr. Theresa Carmel Slavik

Reflection by Loretta Manzara, CSJ

Sr. St. Edward Grace

Sr. Clare Sullivan

Sr. Nicole AubeSr. Bernadette Boyde

Sr. Beata Gagnon

How Could I Ever Forget

The liturgical readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent begin with the retelling of the Jewish people being forced into exile in Babylon. The Chaldean king destroyed Jerusalem, burned its palaces and destroyed all its precious possessions. As I listened to this age-old account, I was reminded of the millions of refugees, faced with atrocities, who fled to foreign lands. Thugs took their money and set them afloat on dangerous seas in makeshift boats and rafts.

Unlike the exiles of old, the refugees who survived, set foot on dry land in safety, not captivity. Most were welcomed warmly. However, many experienced the hostility of citizens who considered the newcomers a burden on their shores.

Throughout the following months, we witnessed copious expressions of gratitude from refugee families who were settled generously by a plethora of churches, agencies and private citizens. I wonder if we realized what impact leaving a beloved home had on these refugees. Their birthplace was radically different from this new country. At home, they had experienced peace and prosperity but all was lost in the ruins and rubble of war and hatred. What would the new land hold for them?

Sunday’s responsorial song, Psalm 137, moved me deeply as I thought of our refugees:

How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right-hand wither.

As we accompany our refugee friends this Lenten season, let us encourage them in their broken English, to share their memories of their beloved homeland. They will continue the difficult work of integrating themselves into our Canadian way of life. May their children grow strong and healthy as employment is realized and friendships abound. May their tears of lament become songs of joy.

Jean Moylan, CSJ

Remembering God’s Love Together

“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.” DT 4.9.

I often joke about my memory as I get older. It can be frustrating when things I really want to remember, I somehow forget. I have heard people call this the “Teflon” effect. Other memories seem to be so deeply imprinted on my mind and heart that I have carried them with me throughout my life. My memory has both gifts and gaps.

Recently my daughter reminded me of a sweet childhood memory I had forgotten. She recalled coming to me for a morning hug. I would wrap my cozy bathrobe around both of us, with her little face peeking out and then she would stand on my feet and walk with me around the kitchen. It was a lovely, warm memory, and her retelling it brought it back to me vividly.

The silver lining to the elusive clouding of memory is that I am not alone on this journey. There is beauty and wonder in our collective memory as people who have shared experiences. The gift of memory, shared in our stories is an invitation into something far richer than my solitary life.

Moses spoke to the people and taught them to observe the law which God had commanded him to give to them, but the law had it’s meaning in their shared memory of God freeing them from slavery. This is what he urged them not to forget. They had personally experienced the plagues and first Passover which led to Pharaoh’s reluctant defeat, the terror of being pursued by the Egyptians and the parting of the Red Sea. Finally, they stood together at the theophany at Mount Horeb. They saw the blazing fire and dark clouds, and heard God’s voice declaring the covenant they were to keep. God had dramatically revealed first his powerful love and then the law which would make them like him; just, wise and in the eyes of the world, great. The shared personal experience of God’s love for them was what made the law meaningful.

We know the rest of their story, the ongoing struggle to be faithful to the covenant, because it is the foundation of our faith. In spite of the many ways they tried to remember, with more and more laws, the people often wandered. They got caught up in their day to day life and the novelty of the surrounding cultures. This is our story too.

Perhaps Lent is a time to remind us to “take care and be earnestly on our guard not to forget the things our own eyes have seen.”

What is my personal experience of God’s saving love? How God has revealed his love for you and others with whom you share faith? Christians share personal and communal experience of the God’s gift of Jesus, and his Spirit, both within and among us in our lives and liturgy. We need one another’s help to remember and not to forget.

Remembering and sharing our stories of faith makes our laws and traditions meaningful. Before we can wholeheartedly renew Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and charity, our hearts may need to recall God’s saving power and presence among us.

Guest Blogger Jane Phillipson