What I'll Be Reading for Lent

With Ash Wednesday just over two weeks away, I have been thinking about what I will be using as my Lenten meditation reading material. I have sent for Esther De Waal's newest addition to her corpus of work on the Rule of St. Benedict, "Seeking Life: The Baptismal Invitation of the Rule of St. Benedict". Esther De Waal has long been a favorite spiritual writer of mine and her books on the Rule of St. Benedict always bring me new insights and wisdom.

In this book, she compares the on-going spiritual development that begins in each believer's life at Baptism with the Gospel truths present in the Rule's famous Prologue.

Christian catechesis for neophytes coming into the Church has traditionally been a long, involved process taking much time and effort on the part of the 'candidate' seeking communion with the Church. Over the centuries, our catechesis has become somewhat simpler, less time consuming and I am left to wonder if we should not return to the older ways of catechizing in order to insure that those entering into full communion totally understand what they are vowing to uphold in their spiritual lives. I'm not sure I totally understood when I renewed my baptismal vows in my own right during adult confirmation.

So I am anxious to read De Waal's thoughts and I promise to post more about this new book as soon as I have finished absorbing it all...

For those looking for new Lenten meditation material, I would recommend the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus' "Death on A Friday Afternoon". I was deeply moved by this book and it strengthened my already vast respect and admiration for this great man of God. Neuhaus takes the Seven Last Words of our Lord on the Cross and brings them into focus with amazing precision and profound insight.

Anne Catherine Emmerich's "The Dolorous Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ" is a book that awed and inspired me to grow closer to our Lord by meditating on His Passion. These looks into Christ's Passion were given to Emmerich during ecstatic visions in which Our Lord revealed to Anne Catherine unknown details of the hours leading up to and concluding with our Lord's death on the Cross. These visions were recorded in written form by Clemens Bretano, a friend and associate of Emmerich's at the time of her visions. This book contains both a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur for those who may be somewhat cautious in reading and believing ecstatic visions. At least you will be comforted that nothing in her words are outside of accepted doctrine or teachings of the Catholic Church. By the way, this book was the source material that Mel Gibson used in researching and writing The Passion of the Christ.

Lastly, I would recommend Edward Hay's "The Lenten Labyrinth" as another great choice for Lenten meditations. Hay discusses the journeys of life and the journeys of Lent as paths much like a labyrinth, twisting this way and that before reaching the goal. Hay's writings always challenge, amuse and cause me to look at ideas and preconceived notions just a little bit differently than I may have in the past. He has a 'quirky' way of getting to his point but the end result is clear and pure. This book is divided up into daily reflections for ease of use.

Whether you choose to read any of these books or pick up something of your own choosing, meditate well this Lent on our Lord's Passion and continue to grow in faith and love. Blessed reading! (and let me know what great books you might find in your own search...)

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, that holy day that signals the beginning of the Lenten Season, dates back to the early Church and the use of ashes originally signified mourning. A penitent sinner would use ashes to show in a literal, physical way their sorrow and repentance.

We read in the book of Job (42:3-6), “Job says to God: ‘I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees Thee. Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.’”

Job, repenting of his harsh words spoken to God, acknowledges the power of God and in the presence of such Power, is sorrowful.

When I was a Protestant, depending on who was the pastor at my church in any given year, the practice of applying ashes to foreheads on Ash Wednesday varied. Some pastors were accepting of the idea of ashes; others were not. So some years, we received ashes; some we did not! It is only in recent years that many Protestant denominations (Methodist, for one), have returned to the ancient practice of ashes on Ash Wednesday.

The Catholic Church, however, has always seen the distribution of ashes on the foreheads of the faithful as a very important, vital aspect of the Lenten Season.

The Second Vatican Council, in their document Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, #109, turned the focus of Lent from mourning and sorrow to “a period of closer attention to the Word of God and more ardent prayer.”

By using the forty days of Lent as a focused period of prayer and Scripture reading in anticipation of the Glorious Easter Resurrection, this time can have profound meaning for us if we enter into it with the right spirit and the right tools.

The Spirit comes to us in prayer. We seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit who will enable us to ‘lean into’ the Lenten days with repentant hearts and minds. We acknowledge our sinfulness; our inability to walk the straight path and to enter through the narrow gate. We acknowledge our total and utter dependence upon the Lord to motivate us, to spur us on.

With the Spirit to guide us, we search for the right tools for the journey. Certainly, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of our prime tools. We clean up our souls and “dust off” our venial sins in preparation for these 40 days of fasting, abstinence, prayer, and meditation upon Scripture.

Another tool is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We partake wholly and with deep reverence as we eat the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord. We are there as Christ institutes the Eucharist at the Last Supper. We draw closer to Him in the most intimate of ways.

We read Holy Scripture, meditating on the days leading up to our Lord’s Passion, particularly those Scripture passages given to us in the Lectionary as appropriate for this holy season. We pray the Holy Rosary, meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries and deepening our understanding of them.

We read spiritual books which point us in the right direction for this Lenten preparation. One of my favorites is Francis Fernandez’s In Conversation with God, Vol II, Lent and Eastertide, which are heavily dependent upon the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei.

We can perhaps take some time to enjoy special movies that portray our Lord’s life and Passion, such as Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth or Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

All these tools, when used in conjunction with and in the power of the Holy Spirit, should help to draw us closer to our Lord and His Passion.

I pray that each and every one of us draw closer to Jesus during this sacred time. May we all ‘lean into’ the season of Lent with contrite hearts and steadfast love.

May we pray with Job: ‘I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees Thee. Therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.’ Amen.