The Season of Lent
The Season of Lent is that time of year when we are compelled to look at ourselves in the mirror of Jesus’ self-giving love. From the mountain-top of the moment of Jesus’ Transfiguration, which we celebrate on the Last Sunday after Epiphany, we move down into the valley of Lent, where the darkening shadows will eventually lead us to the cross.
The Journey to the Cross begins with the Ash Wednesday liturgy. The act of penitence, the reading of Psalm 51, the imposition of Ashes and the sharing of Communion sets our life on the path to the Cross. The penitential rite is our act of confession, where we become aware of the failings and shortcomings that separate us from God and from each other. Psalm 51 is our prayer – "create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" – and reminds us that God looks for our repentance. The Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance, mentioned in the book of Jonah; as the ashes are marked on our forehead, the sobering words, "remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," remind us of our own mortality, yet God calls us again and again to the table of life, and we are invited to share in the Eucharistic celebrations.
During Lent, those preparing for the renewal of their baptismal covenant are commended to the community. The "Catechumenate" – literally, those who learn – are prayed for, and their time of learning is consecrated as a significant part of their Christian formation. Candidates for Baptism are recognized, and the congregation shares in the "teachable moments" of Jesus life in the Gospel readings.
You are invited to share in our Lenten observations. To make the decision to journey through Lent calls for dedication and a willingness to grow in faith. It is process of maturing in Christ. You are asked to look at the real meaning of sacrifice, and to echo Jesus’ sacrifice in your own life. It is the time of "tough love" in the Christian year, when we are reminded that nothing is without cost, and though Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, we accept the dignity of salvation by striving to imitate our Lord in all we do.
ASHES: An ancient symbol of repentance. Ashes are smudged or marked as a cross on the forehead of the believer as a reminder of our own mortality.
PRAYER: The daily activity of the Christian. During Lent, our prayer should be centred in the life of Jesus, especially his self-giving and sacrifice.
ALMS-GIVING: A sacrificial gift. Alms-giving should reflect a percentage of our means. During Lent, we are expected to make an extra gift to share in some small way the pains that Christ endured on the cross.
SELF-DENIAL: The traditional Lenten fast or time of abstinence. We give up something meaningful as a discipline to teach ourselves that we are capable of the high calling of our faith.
The Season of Lent is that time of year when we are compelled to look at ourselves in the mirror of Jesus’ self-giving love. From the mountain-top of the moment of Jesus’ Transfiguration, which we celebrate on the Last Sunday after Epiphany, we move down into the valley of Lent, where the darkening shadows will eventually lead us to the cross.
The Journey to the Cross begins with the Ash Wednesday liturgy. The act of penitence, the reading of Psalm 51, the imposition of Ashes and the sharing of Communion sets our life on the path to the Cross. The penitential rite is our act of confession, where we become aware of the failings and shortcomings that separate us from God and from each other. Psalm 51 is our prayer – "create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" – and reminds us that God looks for our repentance. The Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance, mentioned in the book of Jonah; as the ashes are marked on our forehead, the sobering words, "remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," remind us of our own mortality, yet God calls us again and again to the table of life, and we are invited to share in the Eucharistic celebrations.
During Lent, those preparing for the renewal of their baptismal covenant are commended to the community. The "Catechumenate" – literally, those who learn – are prayed for, and their time of learning is consecrated as a significant part of their Christian formation. Candidates for Baptism are recognized, and the congregation shares in the "teachable moments" of Jesus life in the Gospel readings.
You are invited to share in our Lenten observations. To make the decision to journey through Lent calls for dedication and a willingness to grow in faith. It is process of maturing in Christ. You are asked to look at the real meaning of sacrifice, and to echo Jesus’ sacrifice in your own life. It is the time of "tough love" in the Christian year, when we are reminded that nothing is without cost, and though Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, we accept the dignity of salvation by striving to imitate our Lord in all we do.
ASHES: An ancient symbol of repentance. Ashes are smudged or marked as a cross on the forehead of the believer as a reminder of our own mortality.
PRAYER: The daily activity of the Christian. During Lent, our prayer should be centred in the life of Jesus, especially his self-giving and sacrifice.
ALMS-GIVING: A sacrificial gift. Alms-giving should reflect a percentage of our means. During Lent, we are expected to make an extra gift to share in some small way the pains that Christ endured on the cross.
SELF-DENIAL: The traditional Lenten fast or time of abstinence. We give up something meaningful as a discipline to teach ourselves that we are capable of the high calling of our faith.
