40 Days of Lent

Here we are, 10 days into our 40 day celebration of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday.  Many people over the years have taken their calendar off the wall and counted the days and have found that 40 days doesn’t bring us all the way to Easter.  When that happens, many people begin to make up explanations and computations to stretch the 40 days to fit between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

One explanation that has been offered over the years is that Sundays aren’t counted in Lent.  The explanation says that because on Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, we are called to be joyful, not penitent or reflective.  Some even pick up the bad habits they said they would put down for Lent on Sundays because, they claim, Sundays don’t count.

Lent is a time of penitence and introspection during which we take stock of our lives and our relationships to discover what we must change in ourselves to prepare to be truly ready to meet the Risen Savior on Easter. 

What most of us miss is that the number 40 is mystical, not literal.  It reminds us of Moses’ 40 years in the desert, the prophet Elijah’s 40 day fast and our Lord’s own 40 days of prayer and fasting in the desert.  The number 40 in Hebrew numerology always signifies a trial, so to say something lasted 40 days meant that it was a difficult period not that it was 5 weeks and 5 days long.

We are called to look more to the spirit of the law and less to the letter of the law.  Just as Jesus himself railed against those who prided themselves in living the letter of the law without examining where their hearts were; we are challenged to live by the spirit of our laws.  The first day of Lent began on Ash Wednesday, and the 40th day of Lent is Palm Sunday; but the season of preparation for our Lord’s Resurrection doesn’t end there: we move right from Palm Sunday into Holy Week. 

It’s only natural for us to want to put away the inspection of our lives that we’ve been doing.  After all, introspection, when done sincerely, is difficult work. 

We are given 40 days, plus Holy Week to ask ourselves what can be hard questions:  “How aware am I of sin’s power in my life?”, “How aware am I of my personal sin?”, “Am I ready to let God evaluate my life?”, and maybe the most difficult question for some of us, “Am I ready to open my heart to God’s forgiveness?”

Whether we count Lent at 40 days with Sundays off for good behavior, or 46 days with our Holy Week sacrifices, our journey this season through meditation, contemplation and vocal prayer, allows us to be humbled before the Lord our God.

Stations of the Cross

One of the traditions often practiced in a communal way during Lent is the devotion called Stations of the Cross. In most Catholic parishes you will see, along the walls, a series of artistic representations of Jesus on his way to the Crucifixion.  Typically, these are placed at intervals along the side walls of the church, and in most churches these are small plaques with reliefs, paintings or wood carvings.

Since the 17th century, the Stations of the Cross have consisted of fourteen pictures or sculptures depicting scenes of the trail of Jesus; his journey to Golgotha; his crucifixion, death and burial.

Out of these fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross, only eight are found in scripture.  The biblical accounts in the gospels never mention Jesus falling, nor do any of the evangelists mention Jesus meeting His mother or Veronica on his way to Golgotha.  Station Thirteen, in many depictions, shows Jesus' body being taken from the cross and laid in the arms of Mary, although biblical accounts state that Joseph of Arimathea secured permission to take Jesus from the cross and bury him.  These scenes are included out of tradition.

The Stations of the Cross originated in pilgrimages to Jerusalem.  The devotion of the Via Dolorosa, the way of sorrow, was probably developed by the Franciscans after they were granted administration of the Christian holy places in Jerusalem in 1342.  The Franciscans then began to build a series of shrines in Europe to duplicate those in the Holy Land.  These were usually placed along the approach to a church.  Eventually, churches began to put smaller versions inside or outside their buildings.

Stations of the Cross may be prayed at any time, but is most commonly done during the season of Lent.  Risen Savior holds Stations of the Cross on Friday evenings at 6:30 PM.  This powerful devotion helps the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer by meditating on Christ's suffering and death. 

What is a Liturgist?

We’ve learned that the Liturgy is the public worship of the Church and that the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Liturgy of the Hours are the church’s three primary liturgies.  The planning and implementation of these acts of public worship does not happen by itself.  In smaller parishes the pastor normally plans the weekday and Sunday Masses, Feast Days, weddings, funerals, Quinceañeras, and other worship events in the life of the parish.  As parishes grow it often becomes necessary to bring in a person who is specially trained to prepare our worship celebrations.  That person is referred to as a Liturgist.

The Liturgist directs the parish’s worship programs, plans for the different liturgical seasons such as Lent and Easter, prepares sacramental celebrations and coordinates the sung prayer of the Mass.  They provide leadership and training to the liturgical ministers as well as coordinate the clergy, lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, servers, musicians, sacristans, and ushers.

They oversee the décor and maintain the sacred vessels and vestments used in our worship.  They also recruit and train people for liturgical ministries.

On top of all these duties, a liturgist coordinates the development of the liturgical spirit of the parish and fosters an atmosphere of hospitality and harmony between the various ministries and the clergy.

Risen Savior is proud to announce that we have hired a Liturgist.  Beginning Monday, Mr. Kevin Newman will join our staff.  Most recently Mr. Newman has been at the Shrine of St. Bernadette’s here in Albuquerque.  He holds a Master’s Degree in Organ Performance and brings 20 years of experience with him.  We invite you to welcome and get to know Kevin.  He’s a valuable resource who will help us maintain the beauty of our liturgies and help us grow them to new heights.

Presentation of the Lord

Next week at our Masses we will be celebrating the Presentation of the Lord.  Each year on February 2^nd, we celebrate the day when Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem. Two things actually happened on the 40^th day following the birth of a firstborn son of a Jewish family: the mother was purified and ready to reenter the temple grounds after having been ritually unclean for the period after giving birth. The son was then presented and dedicated to the Lord at the Temple. For the presentation, sacrifices were offered to God.

There’s an interesting history behind this practice of presenting the son. It goes back to the Exodus and the plague of the death of the firstborn that the Lord sent upon Egypt. All the firstborn sons in Egypt were struck down on the night of Passover, except for the families of the Israelites, whose homes were marked with the blood of the lamb, and the angel of death passed over them. The lives of the firstborn sons of Israel were spared. Because of that, all the firstborn sons of Israel were to be set apart, holy, and consecrated to the Lord’s service.

Traditionally, the Presentation is when the candles used in the Church for the year would be blessed.  That is why this feast is often referred to as “Candlemas,” also called “Candelaria” in Spanish. It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Jesus who is Christ our Light.  The feast is always celebrated on February 2^nd, and for the first time since 2003 falls on a Sunday.  The celebration of the Presentation takes precedence and next Sunday we will celebrate it instead of the 4^th Sunday in Ordinary time.  Why tell you this week?  Because next week’s celebration is special.  There will be a candlelight procession at each Mass and each of us will be given a candle which will be lit and blessed.  After Mass we will take our candles home.

The new Roman Missal calls us to more fully enter into the rites and rituals, seasons and movements, of our liturgical year.  The celebration of the Presentation of the Lord is just one of the ways in which we participate in the life of the Church. 

The Art and Environment of Ordinary Time

Last week we concluded the Advent and Christmas seasons.   We now transition into the 34 weeks of Ordinary Time that are broken up by Lent and the Easter season.  You’ll have noticed that our Art and Environment Committee made some changes in our worship space.

The Stations of the Cross have been moved from the sanctuary wall of the church.   This visually frees the sanctuary to be more prominent.  The larger perk is that the stations are now handicap accessible.   Also note that the fourteenth station is under the parish art of the Risen Savior, which becomes the 15th station.

         

Welcoming us into the church from the main lobby is Michael the Archangel. St Michael the Archangel is the patron of soldiers, military, police, and first responders; with all that is going on in our world, he is on duty.  This is a gift from Omar Real who operates Camino Real Imports on Rio Grande in Old Town. He is also the donor of the various stands used in the environment.  The black stands we’re using are temporary and will be replaced with wooden ones to match our other wood furniture.

The Marian shrine can now welcome flowers as well as can the shrine to St Joseph.   Shrines are for prayers.  Each shrine has a prayer located near it which you may find comfort in praying.

The Mandamus—or foot washing statue—is now elevated for better viewing and given a specific definition within the context of the upper room.  This statue was donated by Monsignor Richard Olona and

is carved of beautiful olive wood. 

The Marian Center which is also our parish pre-school is taking on a more defined Catholic identity.   The environment there is being tied to the liturgy of the church. 

The Art and Environment Committee works with the visual as prayer.  Many make this space happen.   Even the confirmation youth and parents assisted with the transformation our worship space.  That includes setting up and taking down.  Those who could climb ladders did, those who were artists or seamstresses plied their crafts.  It truly takes a parish.

The Advent and Christmas season brought in many roses:  statements like “prayerful”, “elegant”, “quieting” were some of the words used.   Every church is a house of prayer.   May our space continue to cause us to be more holy.

Baptism

As children, many of us learned from the Baltimore Catechism that Baptism “is the sacrament which cleanses us from Original Sin, makes us Christians, children of God, and heirs of Heaven.” The more recent Catechism of the Catholic Church expands that definition, saying that Baptism is “the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God…” (CCC, p.1213)

If this is true – that the sacrament of Baptism takes away original sin and makes us children of God – then why was Jesus baptized? After all, we know that Jesus was born without original sin, and that He is the Son of God. So why did Jesus present Himself to John for Baptism? Of what benefit was it to Him?

As descendants of Adam and Eve, we are born into original sin because we inherited our human nature from our first parents. According to the Catechism, “Original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam’s descendants” (CCC, p. 405); original sin is not something we have personally “committed” – it is a “condition” we inherit. The People of God in the Old Testament tried to understand the human condition and the connection to the fall of Adam and Eve, but they were at a disadvantage in that the story’s ultimate meaning is “revealed only in the light of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (CCC, p. 388) That is, we must know Christ as the source of grace in order to know Adam as the source of sin. The "reverse side" of the doctrine of original sin is the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of everyone: that all need salvation and that salvation is offered to all through Christ. (Paragraph 389)

God did not abandon us after that first sin. He sent His only Son who, through His death on the cross, not only makes amends for the sin of Adam and of the whole world, but renews all things in Himself: Jesus says, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) It is Christ who restores that which was lost through original sin and raises us to even greater heights by inviting us to share in His very life. This is why Baptism is so important: it is the means by which we share in grace, in God’s life.

The Baptism of Jesus, on His part, is an act of obedience to His Father and the acceptance of His mission as God’s Servant. Fully human, He allows Himself to be numbered among sinners. At His Baptism, “the heavens were opened” – the heavens that Adam’s sin had closed. Through Baptism, we are connected to Christ, our Savior: we must go down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with Him. We must be reborn of water and the Spirit. (CCC, p. 536)

The Epiphany

For many years in the English speaking world the feast of Epiphany has been overshadowed by that of Christmas. But for most of the world the Feast of the Epiphany is the bigger event.  The significance of the Epiphany is lost if we see only the Christmas side of the mystery of the Incarnation. After contemplating the staggering fact that God has become a human child which we’ve done at Christmas, we turn to look at this mystery from the opposite angle and realize that this seemingly helpless Child is, in fact, God, the King and Ruler of the universe. The feast of Christ's divinity completes the feast of His humanity. It fulfills all our Advent longing for the King "who is come with great power and majesty." We see that whereas Christmas is the family feast of Christianity, Epiphany is the great "world feast of the Catholic Church."

Many of us remember this feast was celebrated on January the 6th.  Today in the United States and most English speaking countries, the feast is moved to a Sunday between the 2nd and 8th of January.  Why a “moveable” feast?  Because this feast is so important to our faith that our bishops don’t want us miss it and so have attached it to a Sunday.  This feast is so important that some have referred to the Epiphany as “Christmas Major” and refer to December 25th as “Christmas Minor.”  For most of the world the Epiphany is the date that gifts are exchanged, reflecting the Magi bringing gifts to the Christ-child.  It is the twelfth day of Christmas.

Epiphany is a complex feast that originated in the Eastern Church and has various themes woven together:  The Epiphany celebrates the Divine Manifestation of Christ as the Son of God and looks forward to His Second Coming.  

A second important idea is the revelation of Christ to the three kings at Bethlehem is a symbol of His revelation to the whole of the world, Jew and Gentile alike.  The Epiphany presents to us the calling of not merely a chosen few, but all humankind to Christianity.

Closely linked to both these themes of divine manifestation and world kingship is a third idea running through the Epiphany feast: that of light. At Christmas the Light shone forth, but dimly, seen only by a few around the crib: Mary and Joseph and the shepherds. But at Epiphany the Light bursts forth to all nations and the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: "The Gentiles shall walk in your light, and kings in the brightness of your rising."

Epiphany lifts our eyes from the family celebration of Christmas and changes our vantage point to "all the ends of the earth."  Like the three wise men, we are called to have the courage to follow the light of the star we have seen, however difficult the journey.  And like these kings we return to our own places a different way, carrying to all those we meet the light of Christ.