A First Sunday of Lent Thought to Start the Week Off Right
It's the first Sunday of Lent, but I'm writing this on a snowy March morning here in the Northeast. It's not a terrible storm, but there's enough to cover everything. I see a shovel in my immediate future.
But before getting down to all that shoveling (and there's quite a bit to do around this house!), a moment to appreciate the beauty of that white mantle and it's connection to this first Sunday of Lent. That connection occurred to me when, for some reason, I thought of the Asperges Me that we sing on Sunday's in the traditional Mass.
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
In English:
Thou wilt sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop and I shall be cleansed
Thou wilt wash me, and I shall be washed whiter than snow.
Pity me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.
(If you're not familiar with the beautiful Asperges Me chant, click HERE.)
Whiter than snow! How can we sinners be made whiter than snow? The Asperges Me tells us. So do we all run to a traditional Mass today to be sprinkled with the holy water at the Asperges and simply leave it at that? Hmmm...I don't think so. God indeed gives us the graces we need in this life to be holy; but He invites us to cooperate with His grace. Which brings us to Lent.
During this holy season, our cooperation begins with the prayer, penance, and almsgiving we all practice in Lent. By now, we should all have made some commitment to these Lenten practices. In it's chapter for the first Sunday of Lent, The Inner Life of the Soul, references today's Gospel - Our Lord tempted by the Devil after his forty days of fasting in the desert. Notice the addition to prayer, penance, and almsgiving:
"We have entered now into the Lenten wilderness, to join, in spirit at least, with our Redeemer in his fast of forty days. Some form of prayer, some kind of penance, we have chosen, or have had appointed to us. Let us be careful, also, to choose some special fault to overcome."
So what's it to be, this "special fault." I've got mine. Whatever yours might be, it's important that you identify it and get on with you plan to overcome it. Of course, you don't do this by yourself. You turn to God, to His grace. But you've got to initiate the process of asking for, cooperating with, and receiving His grace.
As to why this is important, circle back to today's Gospel:
"For in these forty days we too must meet the tempter. Let us do it practically and bravely."
Don't believe in the devil? (and many don't); think again.
"We must all meet the tempter, and the combat is often a sharp one, before which flesh and spirit quail. What will fire our courage more speedily, rousing us to do and dare anything, than the thought that our Captain fought the battle before us? What soldier is going to shirk the battle, if his king is ahead in the fray?"
Let the battle begin! But are these only brave words? What happens when we see the enemy's bulging eyes and feel his fiery breath on us? Will we abandon our Captain? Or when that special fault persistently returns and causes us to slip and fall, will we get up to fight another day?
Perhaps we can draw strength from the thought that we're all in this together: those millions of Christians throughout the world who join us in battle each day; our loved ones, both living and dead, for whom we pray and who pray for us; the angels and saints; our Blessed Mother. All can and will pray or intercede for us.
And so, united behind our Captain, we march as one through these forty days. In the face of the tempter and in spite of our fallen human nature, we face the daily struggle during this holy season wielding our special prayers, fasting, and charity.
"What matter then, how long or sharp the battle, how fearful the temptation, how terrible the suffering, we shall never go astray, if He leads us, for He cannot lead us wrong. The one thing to fear, - except sin, worst of all evils, - the one thing to fear is cowardly discouragement. Of ourselves, we can do absolutely nothing; of ourselves, we shall fail and fall. With Him leading us, with all our trust centered on Him, the end is victory, absolute and sure."
Here's to a good and holy Lent!
But before getting down to all that shoveling (and there's quite a bit to do around this house!), a moment to appreciate the beauty of that white mantle and it's connection to this first Sunday of Lent. That connection occurred to me when, for some reason, I thought of the Asperges Me that we sing on Sunday's in the traditional Mass.
Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor,
Lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor.
Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam.
In English:
Thou wilt sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop and I shall be cleansed
Thou wilt wash me, and I shall be washed whiter than snow.
Pity me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.
(If you're not familiar with the beautiful Asperges Me chant, click HERE.)
Whiter than snow! How can we sinners be made whiter than snow? The Asperges Me tells us. So do we all run to a traditional Mass today to be sprinkled with the holy water at the Asperges and simply leave it at that? Hmmm...I don't think so. God indeed gives us the graces we need in this life to be holy; but He invites us to cooperate with His grace. Which brings us to Lent.
During this holy season, our cooperation begins with the prayer, penance, and almsgiving we all practice in Lent. By now, we should all have made some commitment to these Lenten practices. In it's chapter for the first Sunday of Lent, The Inner Life of the Soul, references today's Gospel - Our Lord tempted by the Devil after his forty days of fasting in the desert. Notice the addition to prayer, penance, and almsgiving:
"We have entered now into the Lenten wilderness, to join, in spirit at least, with our Redeemer in his fast of forty days. Some form of prayer, some kind of penance, we have chosen, or have had appointed to us. Let us be careful, also, to choose some special fault to overcome."
So what's it to be, this "special fault." I've got mine. Whatever yours might be, it's important that you identify it and get on with you plan to overcome it. Of course, you don't do this by yourself. You turn to God, to His grace. But you've got to initiate the process of asking for, cooperating with, and receiving His grace.
As to why this is important, circle back to today's Gospel:
"For in these forty days we too must meet the tempter. Let us do it practically and bravely."
Don't believe in the devil? (and many don't); think again.
"We must all meet the tempter, and the combat is often a sharp one, before which flesh and spirit quail. What will fire our courage more speedily, rousing us to do and dare anything, than the thought that our Captain fought the battle before us? What soldier is going to shirk the battle, if his king is ahead in the fray?"
Let the battle begin! But are these only brave words? What happens when we see the enemy's bulging eyes and feel his fiery breath on us? Will we abandon our Captain? Or when that special fault persistently returns and causes us to slip and fall, will we get up to fight another day?
Perhaps we can draw strength from the thought that we're all in this together: those millions of Christians throughout the world who join us in battle each day; our loved ones, both living and dead, for whom we pray and who pray for us; the angels and saints; our Blessed Mother. All can and will pray or intercede for us.
And so, united behind our Captain, we march as one through these forty days. In the face of the tempter and in spite of our fallen human nature, we face the daily struggle during this holy season wielding our special prayers, fasting, and charity.
"What matter then, how long or sharp the battle, how fearful the temptation, how terrible the suffering, we shall never go astray, if He leads us, for He cannot lead us wrong. The one thing to fear, - except sin, worst of all evils, - the one thing to fear is cowardly discouragement. Of ourselves, we can do absolutely nothing; of ourselves, we shall fail and fall. With Him leading us, with all our trust centered on Him, the end is victory, absolute and sure."
Here's to a good and holy Lent!
We adore Thee O Christ, and we bless Thee,
Because by Thy holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Comments