9781644135945

The Light of the World
ministers of God; in much patience, in tribulations, in necessities, in distress, . . . by honor
and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and
yet known; . . . as needy, yet enriching many; as having nothing and possessing all things” (2
Cor 6:4–10).
The true Christian, as described by the Epistle of the first Sunday of Lent, is rich in God and
united to Him, and by His strength lifts himself above the world, its goods, and its ideals. And yet
the Church knows that many of her children will be unable to attain to this high goal. They are
still attached to the world, sharing its viewpoint, cherishing its maxims, anxious and concerned
about temporal affairs. She knows that in many of her children she is still stained and tainted.
Realizing this, she has provided the season of Lent as a time for cleansing and purification: “O
God, Thou dost purify Thy Church with the annual observance of Lent” (Collect of the first
Sunday of Lent). During this holy season perfect harmony should be re-established between
God and all the children of the Church.
We enter this season in the spirit of the Church and of her liturgy. We seek to wash away the
stains of sin and to rid ourselves of our inordinate attachment to all that is temporal and worldly.
We renounce everything that hitherto has prevented us from reaching the heights of a truly
Christian life. This renunciation will cost us effort, strife, and suffering. Yet we unite ourselves
to our suffering Savior, persuaded that He who is our head will triumph in His members. The
more perfect our union with Him in the Holy Sacrifice and in the sacrificial banquet of Holy
Communion, the more certainly shall we share His new life and His glorification at Easter.
Then we shall, as men risen from the dead, dedicate our lives to God anew in this year of grace.
Three prominent ideas are proposed for our contemplation by the liturgy of Lent: the passion
and the resurrection of Christ; baptism; penance. During Lent we are to think of ourselves as
living with Christ, the innocent one, who is to be condemned, disgraced, persecuted, and finally
delivered up to death. We are to share His labors, His sacrifices, and His humiliations as He
relives them during this season. Following the suggestion of the lenten liturgy, we renew the
promises which we made at baptism. We renew our profession of faith and our renunciation
of sin. We join the ranks of the penitents and seek by our good works to atone for our past sins
and negligences. We withdraw from the world and devote more of our time than is customary
to recollection, prayer, holy reading, and meditation. One of the best good works for the season
of Lent is the daily attendance at Mass.
Ash Wednesday
We receive from the hands of the Church the cross of ashes, and with it we join the ranks of the
public penitents, who during Lent, in the early days of the Church, publicly performed severe
penance for their sins. They were excommunicated, excluded from Holy Communion; then on
Holy Thursday they were again readmitted into full communion with the Church. The cross of
ashes is a sign of our readiness to lead a life of penance. “Remember, O man, that thou art dust,
and into dust thou shalt return.”
“Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning. And rend
your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God; for He is gracious and
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