Lent | Church

For an explanation of Ash Wednesday and Lent and a prayer, go to the foot of this page.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Sometimes when the spiritual and the secular clash, we can see the hand of God at work. In Pieter Brueghel’s The Fight Between Carnival and Lent, there is a clash of contrasts happening in this 16th-century Dutch village. On this first day of Lent, we don ashes and hear the call to return to the Lord. The path of this return can seem daunting, intimidating. Looking inward like the woman at this well can mean taking a hard look at everything that keeps us from living life to the fullest. It is easier to avoid this and follow the jester to false lights and worldly distractions. Yet we’re reassured: “Gracious and merciful is the Lord, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.”

FIRST WEEK OF LENT

This Sunday's first reading from Genesis invites us back to the beginning, to the creation of man and woman, and their original fall, succumbing to the temptation of the serpent. Ivan Kramskoi's Christ in the Desert returns Jesus to this same beginning to face his own temptations before heading out to engage in public ministry. On this first Sunday of Lent, Jesus' strength in prayer is a gift of encouragement for our journeys as well, a gift to take with us into our own wildernesses where the voice of temptation utters false words. These hands fused in prayer remind us to resist the isolation that the devil's false words bring, and to remain in the grip of grace, joined to God.

SECOND WEEK OF LENT

In the Transfiguration, the artist Raphael tells a story of revelation, faith, and healing. Between the disciples and the family, Raphael places a unique female figure. Christ dominates the painting, yes, but this woman is second in visual importance. She is faith, responding to the revelation of God above. She brings to the disciples the key ingredient missing from their work. She bridges the two stories. Her turned and twisted body also brings to mind conversion, the turning of mind and heart. She echoes the divine words from above: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” With faith and grace, our hearts may turn as well.

THIRD WEEK OF LENT

In this Orthodox icon of the woman at the well, we see the encounter of Christ with the Samaritan woman, who in the Orthodox tradition has a name: St. Photini, the illuminated or enlightened one. She meets Jesus while he is seated by the well. The woman at the well enters the tomb as she acknowledges in truth the painful path of her life. Christ illuminates her heart. He invites her to move beyond her current life. She enters the tomb of this in truth and accepts the living water. Through meeting Christ, St. Photini finds light in her darkness, a light she will shine to others.

FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

We enter into this fourth Sunday of Lent with the words of Samuel I telling us that, “not as man sees does God see.” At Mass, we then hear the story of Christ healing the blind man at the pool of Siloam. El Greco painted two versions of this story; here we explore his first rendition. Christ Healing the Blind tells the story but also reveals El Greco’s blossoming artistic vision. Christ Healing the Blind presents two main groups of people: Christ healing the blind man on the left, and the Pharisees clustered on the right, suspicious and protesting. This story invites us to open wider our eyes of faith and become aware of the merciful, healing grace all around us.

FIFTH WEEK OF LENT

Death threatens life in the story of the raising of Lazarus, and János Vaszary’s Resuscitation of Lazarus invites us into the scene. Jesus, hand held up in blessing, stops Death in his tracks. As his disciples look to him in wonder, Jesus looks out at us, with a steady confidence that humbles Death’s assumed triumph. Christ addresses us, the viewers, with eternal truth: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.” On this 5th Sunday of Lent, we may be at different points along the way: wailing with the women in our sorrow, struggling with faith like the disciples, or facing a hard road ahead. Christ engages us from the painting directly: I am the Way; follow me to the fullness of life.

PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION

Palm Sunday is a day of high emotions, teetering on the edge between happiness and heartbreak. Giotto’s Entry into Jerusalem from the Scrovegni Chapel invites us into a scene of celebration. The exclamation “Hosanna!” is a way to praise God, but also carries the literal meaning “God save us.” The children climbing up and tangled in the trees, the palm frond raised above the donkey like a scourge, the donkey as the humble beast of burden, and the people stripping down their garments all evoke moments of the passion and hint at what is to come. Between happiness and heartbreak, this day calls us to let go and give our fears, sorrows, and burdens over to Christ as he approaches Calvary.

HOLY THURSDAY

Bernhard Strigel’s painting of Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet illuminates for us the scene of the Last Supper. Taking the theme of engagement to a deeper level, in the foreground we find Christ in the act of washing Peter’s feet. From the messy, post-meal table, Christ invites us into another mess - the dusty and worn feet of Peter's toes which he hesitantly points out from under his garment. Expressing profound love, service, and intimate communion, Christ reaches for these to wash them, shocking and humbling Peter, who will have to learn the lesson his Teacher has just modelled for him. On this Holy Thursday, our experiences of worship are also replete with symbols of intimate love, humility, self-giving service, and sacrifice. How do these speak to you today?

GOOD FRIDAY

Titian’s Christ and the Good Thief immerses us in the somber, raw spirit of Good Friday—one of agony and heartbreak. But even in this, we see a sign of hope and conversion in the example of the Good Thief. Isaiah’s description of the suffering servant helps us understand the conversion of the Good Thief. The man’s sin led him to his death sentence, but he now recognizes in Christ the freedom, hope, and promise possible even at his final moments. As we approach the cross in veneration this Good Friday, where do you yearn for freedom, hope, and possibility in your life?

HOLY SATURDAY

The Basilica of San Clemente in Rome awes visitors with a medieval mosaic that symbolizes the whole of salvation history as being centred on the life-giving image of the cross. It is a visual, symbolic journey that parallels the salvation history proclaimed in the Easter Vigil. The cross gives life - this is the central mystery of Easter and the profound meaning we enter into as we keep vigil. Tonight, the hand of the Creator reaches out once again to invite us into the new creation that is born out of the Paschal Mystery and beckons us to follow Christ from death to Resurrection.

EASTER SUNDAY

Piero della Francesca’s 15th-century fresco of The Resurrection of Jesus Christ shows the triumphant image of Christ emerging from the tomb, compelling us to consider what his victory means not only for the Church but for our whole world. The Easter Sequence reverberates through the image: “Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.” In this Easter season, Christ is risen indeed in our churches, but also in our homes, communities, and workplaces. All of creation is illuminated by the new dawn brightening behind the Risen Lord. Christ our hope has arisen - bringing the triumph of life into all the contexts in which we live it.

PRAYER FOR A FRUITFUL LENT

My precious and crucified Lord, I offer You this Lent.

I offer it to You with total abandonment and trust.

I offer You my prayers, sacrifices and my very life this day.

Do with me, Lord, as You will.

I pray that this Lent will be fruitful.

I know You have much to say to me and much to do in my life.

May this Lent be a time through which Your mercy is poured in abundance into my soul,

and into the souls of all Your faithful.

Dearest Lord, help me to especially see my sin, this Lent.

Humble me so that I may see clearly.

Give me courage and strength to confess my sins,

and to turn from them with all my heart.

Enlighten me with Your Holy Word, dear Lord.

Help me to come to know You and to deepen the gift of faith in my life.

Show me the plan You have for me,

and place my feet upon the path You have chosen.

Lord, I thank You for the fullness of Your perfect Sacrifice.

I thank You for holding nothing back,

giving Your life to the last drop of blood.

May I offer You my very life as a sacrifice,

trusting in Your mercy with every offering.

Keep me faithful to my Lenten promises,

and bring forth new life through these sacrifices of love.

Strengthen my prayer and make me holy.

Help me to turn to You, each day,

seeking Your sacred and pierced Heart.

Blessed Mother, you stood by your Son in His suffering and death,

stand by me, I pray, as I journey through this life.

Pray for me and offer me to Your Son,

that He may take me into His loving embrace.

Lord, Jesus, Son of the Living God,

have mercy on me a sinner.

Mother Mary, Mother of our Crucified Lord,

pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Amen

ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENT - WHAT IS IT?

The blessing of the ashes and the significance of the day: The priest dipping his thumb into ashes (collected from burnt palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday), marks the forehead of each with the sign of the cross, saying the words, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return" or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” By marking the sign of the cross with ashes on the foreheads of her children, the Church gives us:

a firm conviction that a) we are mortal beings, b) our bodies will become dust when buried and ashes if cremated, and c) our life-span is very brief and unpredictable;
a strong warning that we will be eternally punished if we do not repent of our sins and do penance; and
a loving invitation to realize and acknowledge our sinful condition and return to our loving and forgiving God with true repentance as the prodigal son did.

On Ash Wednesday, we are invited to effect a real conversion and renewal of life during the period of Lent by fasting, penance, and reconciliation.

Fasting

“There is joy in the salutary fasting and abstinence of Christians who eat and drink less in order that their minds may be clearer and more receptive to receive the sacred nourishment of God's word, which the whole Church announces and meditates upon in each day's liturgy throughout Lent” (Thomas Merton).

Penance and Reconciliation

Lent is a time for forgiveness and reconciliation. It is the model given by Jesus. It was his teaching: “If any one wishes to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me” and “Try to enter through the narrow gate.” Penance removes the weakness left by sin in our souls and it makes our prayers more fruitful. By receiving the ashes, we confess that we are sinners in need of the mercy of God, and we ask forgiveness for the various ways in which we have hurt our brothers and sisters. Let us allow the spirit of forgiveness to work its healing influence in our parishes and families.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS

We may not be able to pray together in our church, but here is a video, from which you can follow and pray the Stations of the Cross just as we would do in Church. Let us try and do this on Fridays in Lent, but especially on Good Friday.