Lent

The current Lenten Fast only dates back to 1966.  Prior to that, the Fast was much more intense.  It may surprise you to hear that Catholics fasted ALL 40 days of Lent.  In addition to that, they abstained from meat on all Fridays (as we do now), but also observed partial abstinence on all other days except Sunday.  This meant that meat was only eaten at the main meal of the day.  The other two smaller collations were meatless.  

Pope Benedict XIV said in 1741: “The observance of Lent is the very badge of the Christian warfare.  By it we prove ourselves not to be enemies of Christ.  By it we avert the scourges of divine justice. By it we gain strength against the princes of darkness, for it shields us with heavenly help. Should mankind grow remiss in their observance of Lent, it would be a detriment to God's glory, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to Christian souls. Neither can it be doubted that such negligence would become the source of misery to the world, of public calamity, and of private woe.” 

Look at the world around us.  It is a mess.  A total hedonistic culture surrounds us.  Even the Church Herself is in crisis and Her numbers are rapidly decreasing, especially in certain countries like France who is the Eldest Daughter of the Church.  Pope Benedict XIV was right!  We must try to recapture what our forefathers did.  To go from 2 days of fasting to 40 would be difficult, but we can build up to it gradually.  One could add in another day or two of the week to fast, such as Wednesday (because that was the day when Our Lord was betrayed by Judas).  Or once Passiontide or Holy Week arrives, increase your fasting days.  Partial abstinence could easily be added to our meals.  By God’s grace we can reclaim this great tool to achieve self-discipline and ultimately sanctity.  “I can do all these things in Him Who strengtheneth me.”  Philippians 4:13.

During these 2 ½ weeks of Septuagesima, the Church has been preparing us for Lent.  Already at Mass, we have the violet vestments of penance and the Gloria and Alleluia have been taken away.  Once Lent begins, the organ is no longer played (except at Benediction) and there are no flowers on the altar.  All of these omissions show us the seriousness of this Liturgical Season as we focus on Our Lord’s Passion and Death and all that He suffered to redeem us.

There is one more omission in the pre-1955 that we no longer have.  The Ite, Missa Est at the end of Mass was also taken away and replaced by a simple Benedicamus Domino (Let us bless the Lord.)  This was a further penitential aspect to the Mass.  Anytime the priest wore violet, this was the ending of Mass.  Now we only hear it where there is a procession after Mass which is rare.

Candlemas - The Blessing of the Candles

The feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of my favorite feasts.  It is unlike any other of the Liturgical Year.  One of the key features of this feast is the Blessing of the Candles and the Procession.  Bring your candles to be blessed.  These candles are sacramentals and can be used especially during times of trouble, storms and when the Sacrament of Extreme Unction is being given.

The Blessing of the Candles is one of the three principle Blessings of the Liturgical Year.  The other two are the Blessing of Ashes and Palms on Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday.  There is a unique characteristic of the pre-1955 Blessings that is missing in the 1962 Missal.  The color for all three Blessings is violet.  This gives a continuity and uniformity between these major Blessings.  

In the 1962 Missal, each feast has its own color.  The connection between the three is completely gone.  White is for Candlemas, Violet for Ash Wednesday and Red for Palm Sunday.  

Violet is for penitential times and calling down God's mercy and grace upon us.  Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday already have violet since they are in Lent.  Candlemas is often in the Season of Septuagesima which also has the color of violet.  This continuity of color keeps us focused on the these great sacramentals and the extraordinary graces they give us is we use them.

The symbolism of the Procession around the church with lit candles is very beautiful, as the Light of Christ is to be spread throughout the world. The candles are lit again for the Gospel reading (Luke 2:22-32) recounting the Purification, and finally at the Consecration, as the Light joins us in the Real Presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The Preface of the Nativity right before the Canon is used for the last time of the year, again recalling the birth of Our Savior.

 

Septuagesima