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Bulletin
The
St Lawrence g Weehawken, NJ
March 15, 2015
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Laetare Sunday
h h h h h h
OUR PARISH
By Susan Francesconi, BA
Director of Evangelization
g Ss Peter & Paul, Hoboken
susan.francesconi@spphoboken.com
One of the tasks on my husband’s to-do list prior to
moving into our new home was to install dimmer
switches throughout the house. This was a relatively large project for a lovely old place like ours which
was originally built with multiple gaslights in every
room. At some point in the home’s history the gaslights and chandeliers were replaced with electric
We are skilled in deflecting responsibility and rather
than change our ways we convince ourselves that a
choice we continue to make is harmless, when in fact
our actions create damaging ripples we aren’t even
aware of. Or we tolerate ideologies that we know are
wrong and immoral, but the personal sacrifice that
accompanies taking a stand is what really makes
us uncomfortable. Even in the face of global consequences many of us refuse to take action because
we “didn’t do it.” Not my trash. Not my fault. Not my
problem. We furnish our darkness with denial.
22 Hackensack Ave, Weehawken, NJ 07086
201.863.6464 g www.stlweehawken.com
StLawrenceRCChurch
Vision
To share and foster the gospel values of worship,
charity, justice and service.
Pastoral Team
Msgr Robert S MeyerAdministrator
administrator@stlweehawken.com
Geoffrey Scheer
Office Manager
officemanager@stlweehawken.com
Claudia Pastrana Aguirre
Director of
Religious Education
dre@stlweehawken.com
Adele Faulkner
Front Desk
frontdesk@stlweehawken.com
John Charlesworth
Beth Keating
Trustees
Finance Council
Brian Kappock
Patricia Bilka
Larry Lauricella
Chair
Parish Office Hours
Monday 9 AM 2 PM
Tuesday
2 PM 7 PM
WednesdayClosed
Thursday
9 AM 
2 PM
Friday  Sunday
Closed
Sunday Masses
Vigil (Saturday)
4:00 PM
Sunday10.30 AM and 12 Noon
This light (no pun intended) example is not very
different from the way many of us live our lives, is
it? Don’t we use a dimmer of sorts in our day to day
dealings, living in the light when we are in right relationship, living in the shadows when we are not?
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light, because their works
were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the
light and does not come toward the light, so that his works
might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to
the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in
God. —John 3:19-21
The question is, why do we choose the dark, when
we know the light? Our lives can be transformed; it
can happen in an instant if we are willing to allow the
light in. Still the darkness beckons our return. Sad.
How about creating a to-do list that includes a new
lighting plan for life? As an evangelizing people, we
might ask ourselves, “If everything in my life (in my
family, in our society, in this organization) was forever cast in the light of Jesus, what would it look like?”
What kinds of changes would you need to make to
remain in the light?
Happy Spring — I think!
Next week on Sunday, March
22, the Hoboken Catholic
Academy Children’s Choir will
perform the liturgical music for
the 10.30 AM Mass. Join us!
I am sure that the warmer, Spring-like weather is a
welcome change for so many of us who have been
shut in, and cold from the last few weeks of a very
harsh weather.
I am so grateful to the team of folks who have been
responsible for our snow removal and salting as it
has been a very challenging task some days. I am
also grateful to so many of you who “gave a little
something extra” for the snow removal costs. We
have collected $610 for our snow removal revenue
against a to date cost of $2,393 (snow removal:
$1,130; Salt supply: $1,263). As you can see, although
beautiful, snow is a costly occurrence!
We have all also seen a bit of an improvement in our
weekly collections. I am hoping that this trend continues because the $5,000 weekly amount is not a
“goal” its what is “needed” to operate the parish in
the black. Should we not reach that, and close the
deficit, we will have to make some more budget cuts
before the end of the fiscal year.
Although I do not personally celebrate each weekday or weekend mass with you, please know how
closely I monitor all the aspects of our parish life,
continuing to hope, pray and work that as time
passes, we will be running smoothly again.
Thank you for all of your support and generosity.
Best wishes and warm regards!
Fr Bob
Sunday Readings
Come for Eucharistic Adoration every Monday
evening at 7.30 PM. Spend some time with God,
physically present in the Church. He welcomes
you, He awaits you. If you don’t feel like saying
much to God, if your relationship with Him has
been strained or distant, Lent is the right time to
just come and just be there.
Be still, and know that I am God — Ps 46
St Augustine School Gala Dinner
St Augustine School in Union City invites you to
their Third Annual Scholarship Dinner on Wednesday, April 29 at The Fiesta in Woodridge. The dinner
will honor Sr Rosemary Moynihan, General Superior of the Sisters of Charity, Rosemary Carroll, Director of Associates of the Sisters of Charity, and Richard Wolff, KJ, President of Chip in for the Children
Foundation. Cocktails start at 6.30 PM. Tickets are
on sale for $125 pp. For more information, contact:
info@staugustinesunioncity.com
Daily Liturgies
Stewardship and Financial Responsibility
Other Daily Masses available in the Deanery:
St Ann
Monday  Friday 7 AM
St Francis
Monday  Friday 8 AM
SPPTuesday
 Friday 12.10 PM
OLGMonday
 Friday 12:30 PM
OLG
Monday  Thursday 7 PM
To each of us, God has given gifts to share. As a sign
of gratitude, we encourage each parishioner to gift
one hour’s wage each week to the support the work
of God’s church. Why one hour? The first hour of the
work week is given to God, imbuing our work with a
sense of sacredness and gratitude. This is a spiritual
approach to work and stewardship. For a convenient
guide on how much is one hour's wage for you,
please go to: stlweehawken.com/donate You can
find the details of our collection week after week on
our website: stlweehawken.com/collection.php
Monday
Mass/Evening Prayer 7.30 PM
Tuesday  Friday
Mass 9.30 AM
fixtures and wall switches. It’s not news, but dimmers are great. Being able to control the light saves
electricity and allows us to create a warm ambiance
depending on the chosen level of brightness. (Also,
I am told that people of a certain age believe they
look a lot better when the lights are low.) But that’s
not all…a dimmer does double duty by obscuring
flaws such as chipped paint and cracked plaster, at
least in the nighttime. Unfortunately, the gig is up by
morning when over eager sunbeams pass through
the windows offering congratulations on our good
taste, and nagging reminding us of our neglect by
announcing the location of every needed repair.
NEXT WEEK
Dear Parishioners:
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN EVANGELIZING PEOPLE:
COME, AND YOU WILL SEE
Why choose
the dark, when
we know the light?
OUR PARISH
Sacrament Of Reconciliation
Saturday
3:30 PM sharp
Additional Confessions during Lent:
St Lawrence
Monday 7 PM
Ss Peter & Paul
Wednesday 7 PM
Our Lady of Grace
Saturday 4 PM
St Francis
Saturday 4 PM
St Ann
Wedn. 6–6.30 PM & 7.30—8 PM
Novena to St Jude & Eucharistic Adoration
Monday
7:30 PM
Ministry For The Sick
If you are aware of any parishioners who no
longer can come to Church and would like to
receive Communion and a visit from someone at
our Parish please call the Parish Office.
Regular Collection for March 8, 2015:
Mass
Collection
4 PM
10.30 PM
12 Noon
$648
$1,162
$1,507
$3,988
Total : ‡
EnvAttend.
26 envs 75 ppl
50 envs 200 ppl
35 envs 95 ppl
111 envs¤ 370 ppl
80%†31%*
of the 350 registered envelope users
¤Includes mail-in
†
of the budgeted weekly target
*
includes $671 from Faith Direct.
‡
Aggregated deficit for the
current fiscal year as of March
10, 2015:
$52,080
Includes a $7,970 deficit from the
Christmas collection not represented on
the chart.
2 Chronicles 36:14–16, 19–23 Because Israel was
unfaithful to the covenant and rejected God’s
messengers, Jerusalem was destroyed, and they
were exiled to Babylon until King Cyrus of Persia
called them back.
Ephesians 2:4–10 Our life and salvation comes
from the grace, love, and mercy of Christ alone. It
doesn’t come from our worthiness or any of our
works.
John 3:14–21 Jesus, the light, came into the world
to expose and conquer sin. Though the wicked
hate the truth, Christ, in God’s love, does not condemn but saves.
Weekday Readings
Monday
Is 65:17–21 / Ps 30:2 & 4, 5-6, 11-12A & 13B Jn 4:43–54
Tuesday St Patrick
Ez 47:1–9, 12 / Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 / Jn 5:1–16
Wednesday St Cyril of Jerusalem
Is 49:8–15 / Ps 145:8-9, 13CD-14, 17-18 / Jn 5:17–30
Thursday St Joseph
2 Sm 7:4–5, 12–14, 16 / Rm 4:13, 16–18, 22 / Ps 145:8-9,
13CD-14, 17-18 / Mt 1:16, 18–21, 24 or Lk 2:41–51
Friday
Wi 2:1, 12–22 / Ps 34:17-18, 19-20, 21 & 23 / Jn 7:1–2,
10, 25–30
Saturday
Je 11:18–20 / Ps 7:2-3, 9BC-10, 11-12 / Jn 7:40–53
This Week’s Mass Intentions
Saturday, March 14
4:00 pm Domenico Marie Bado
Sunday, March 15
10:30 am James and Maria Marchetti
12:00 pm Dunlea and Keogh families
Monday, March 16
7:30 pm
For the People of the Parish
Tuesday, March 17
9:30 am
Maria Pizzuta
Wednesday, March 18
9.30 am Available
Thursday, March 19
9:30 am
Available
Friday, March 20
9:30 am Robert Ritterman
Saturday, March 21
4:00 pm Mr and Mrs Virgilio Alejandrino
Sunday, March 22
10:30 am John McGowan
12:00 pm Elizabeth Ungaro
OUR PARISH
The Donut Man is Coming
to St Lawrence! [TAKE 2]
Mark your calendars! Our Faith Formation Family Assembly on March 22 will feature the Donut
Man, Rob Evans, in concert. Rob has previously performed at Saints Peter and Paul and is looking forward to coming to Saint Lawrence. His music uses
the Bible and the Tradition of the Church to teach
kids about the Catholic faith including the gospel,
the Mass, and the seven sacraments.
On his website, Rob introduces himself with these
words, “I am Rob Evans - The Donut Man, known for
my Bible story-songs. I'm actually a 'Donut Repair
Man'... Why? I use a donut to illustrate how something can be good, and yet still have something
missing. At the end of every presentation, after
kids hear the good news of Jesus, they get to fill the
empty hole in a donut with a round pastry and then
eat it! This 'edible Gospel object-lesson' points to a
simple truth: though we are made in God's image,
our hearts have a ‘God-shaped empty-place’ that
only God can fill! I 'run' with that theme with everything I do.”
His songs “are both spiritually and creatively engaging because they are sung from the "first-person"
perspective; Daniel is sung by the Lion, the Mustard
Seed sings about faith, etc.” When performing for
Catholic audiences, Rob includes “songs that present lessons about the seven Sacraments along with
Scripture-based songs that illuminate and amplify
their meaning.” One of his concerts includes “a music-based, wonder-filled study” study of the Mass
in which Rob sings songs that look at each part of
the liturgy. Overall, his music manages to draw kids
into the faith with its fun, educational, active, and,
at times, funny presentation of Bible stories, the
sacraments, and the Mass.
We are looking forward to hosting Rob. His concert
should be fun; we hope to see all our Faith Formation families there!
For more information about Rob’s performances or to
get previews of his songs, go to his website at www.
donutman.com.
Have Mercy
By Janel Esker
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
We proclaim those words at most liturgies, but how
often do we really pray them? During Lent at our
parish, we sing the Greek translation—Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. We’re literally begging
our God to be merciful to us; unfortunately, I’m uncertain how much intention and purpose we place
behind those words. Do we really know what we’re
asking God and what God asks in return?
Today’s readings describe the richness of God’s
mercy and compassion. We’re reminded that God’s
sending Jesus and his promise of eternal life are
merciful gifts to us sinners. Do any of us deserve
the gift of Jesus or the gift of resurrection? Certainly
not—but God gives to us anyway. Mercy is given to
the undeserving—those who deserve justice but
instead are given compassion.
Our earthly lives are sustained by God’s mercy, but
how merciful are we in return? How many of us
vehemently support the death penalty? Do we celebrate when a terrorist is maimed or killed? God’s
mercy extends to all—we sinners and those we
consider to be even worse sinners. Sometimes it’s a
simpler matter: When someone cuts us off in traffic, perhaps we feel entitled to speed past and cut
him off in return. Sure, the driver “deserves” justice,
but mercy is what we’re expected to give. How can
we beg God for mercy on us each week at Mass if
we’re not willing to extend that same mercy to all
God’s children—both close to home and far away?
Be the mercy of God this week—and experience
God’s mercy poured out on you.
CLOSING THE PARISH
BUDGET GAP:
A Special Appeal
This past Ash Wednesday, St Lawrence began an
appeal to close the budget gap. Contributions to
the appeal total: $5,808. At nine months into the
fiscal year, we are $52,080 behind budget. We need
to achieve a balanced budget by June 30, 2015. And
so, we have asked parishioners and friends to make
a donation to the St Lawrence Legacy Fund to help
close this gap. The Legacy Fund is restricted to parish
use and is not taxed (assessed) by the Archdiocese;
every dollar donated is used to sustain St Lawrence.
We thank you for this extraordinary support that
the parish needs TODAY. Much is being asked of all
our parishioners and many are responding. Please
take a moment to consider a meaningful gift to the
Legacy Fund. Envelopes are available at the doors of
the church or you can pledge online at www.faithdirect.net with parish code NJ670. God bless you as you
sustain St Lawrence in generosity and love.
OUR PARISH
The Replacement Candle
Holders Have Arrived!
The new candle holders replacing those damaged during Superstorm Sandy have finally
arrived — one more visible step in the ongoing process of restoration of the parish. Thanks
to Marianne Lorenz for providing us with a diagram and photos of where the statues were
prior to the flood.
SAINT OF THE WEEK
St Joseph, Spouse
of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
Solemnity: March 19
The spouse of Mary the mother of Jesus and the legal father of Jesus according to Jewish law, Joseph
is a model of humility and obedience to God’s will.
About the Holy Week Schedule
He followed God’s instructions, given by angels in
dreams, and took the pregnant Mary into his home
as his wife, protected her and Jesus at the child’s
birth in Bethlehem through the family’s sojourn in
Egypt, and provided for them as a carpenter in Nazareth.
As you can see from the schedule box, there are
many “services” for us to celebrate the passion,
death and resurrection of our Lord this season.
You can imagine that the planning, execution and
funding of these is a challenging task, and we need
to use all of our resources, human and other, wisely.
His feast, which was celebrated locally as early as
the ninth century, became a universal feast in the
fifteenth century, when it was placed on the liturgical calendar. Pope Pius IX named St Joseph Patron
of the Universal Church in 1870; he is also the patron
saint of carpenters, the dying, and workers.
Did you know?
Solemnities are the highest ranking feast day.
They commemorate an event in the life of Jesus
or Mary or celebrates a saint important for the
Church as a whole or for the local community. The
Mass of a solemnity has proper readings, and the
Gloria and Creed are recited. Outside of Advent,
Lent and Eastertide, if a solemnity falls on a Sunday, it is celebrated in place of the Sunday.
Dear Parishioners:
Consequently, while you will certainly find some
“additions” to the schedule, including an 8 am mass
on Easter Sunday, there is one service usually scheduled that is missing this year - the Easter Vigil.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal regarding
the Easter Vigil requires:
The entire celebration of this vigil should take
place at night, that is, it should begin after
nightfall and end before the dawn of Sunday.
This rule is to be taken in its strictest sense.
The Easter Vigil is not to be celebrated at
the time of the day that it is customarily
celebrated. (For us that would preclude a
Saturday 4 pm mass on Holy Saturday.)
The celebration of the sacraments of Christian
initiation are to be celebrated at the Easter
Vigil (We do not have any candidates this
year.)
In addition, the planning, music, rehearsal,
organization and expense for a Vigil this year doesn’t
seem to be the best use of our limited resources.
Also, given the usual attendance of about 65 people
at our Saturday evening mass doesn’t demonstrate
a great need. Finally, the Confirmation candidates
from both parishes, Ss Peter and Paul and St
Lawrence will receive the sacrament at the Easter
Vigil from the Pope’s representative to the United
Nations at the SPP Vigil.
I know that change oftentimes causes many emotions and for that I am sorry. I am doing what I can
to be faithful to the liturgical laws of the Church,
to celebrate these holiest of days with the best we
have to offer, and to use our resources in the best
possible manner. I am grateful for your cooperation
and understanding.
Fr Bob
St Lawrence
Holy Week Schedule
Holy Thursday - April 2nd
Morning Prayer 9:00AM
Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:00PM
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
(church remains open until 11:00PM)
Good Friday - April 3rd
Morning Prayer
Passion of the Lord
9:00AM
7:00PM
Holy Saturday - April 4th
Morning Prayer 9:00AM
Followed by Church Decoration
No confessions
No 4:00PM mass
No Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday - April 5th
Mass 8:00 AM
10:30AM 12:00PM
OUR CHURCH
OUR ARCHDIOCESE
Mercy Night at the Cathedral Basilica
HCA Home & School Association Gala
A "Mercy Night" Lenten Holy Hour will take place at the Cathedral Basilica of
the Sacred Heart for all the young adults of the Archdiocese on Friday, March
20 at 8 PM. It is organized by the seminarians of Immaculate Conception Seminary. Bishop Manuel Cruz will preside. The Holy Hour will include Eucharistic
adoration, "praise-and-worship" meditative music, abundant opportunities for
the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and brief Scripture reading and reflection. Afterwards, there will be refreshments and an opportunity to mingle and talk to
the seminarians as well as to tour the Cathedral Basilica. Security at the Cathedral Basilica will be provided.
The Hoboken Catholic Academy Home & School Association will host it’s annual Spring Gala & Silent Auction on Friday, April 24th from 7:00-10:00PM at
Maritime Parc, in Liberty State Park in Jersey City. There will be a full open bar
and buffet dinner for the ticket price of $125. Items donated for the auction
include a one-year garage parking space at 800 Madison and 2 garage spaces
and a Family Pool Pass to 1000 Jefferson, a two night, luxury suite stay at the
Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC and a two night stay in Deluxe Accommodations
at the Four Seasons, Boston. For music fans and collectors, I heart Media has
donated a “2007 Zootopia Guitar,” autographed by Rhianna, Maroon 5, Hillary
Duff and others. Scores of other items ranging from a round of golf at Montclair Country Club to some amazing student artwork will be up for grabs.
For more information contact: Michael Burt — michael.burt@shu.edu 973-7619575 or Lynx Soliman - solimaly@rcan.org
Inclusive Mass on Easter Sunday
Join us on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 1:30 PM at
St John the Evangelist Church, 29 North Washington
Avenue in Bergenfield, for an inclusive Mass presided by Msgr Richard Arnhols. Inclusive Family Masses
are adapted for individuals with special needs and/or
gifts, their families and friends. Very often individuals
or families living with developmental, intellectual
and/or other disabilities do not feel welcome attending their local parish liturgy, although they are very
welcome. These are the people and families, in particular, that we are welcoming to attend these Masses
and to celebrate the Eucharist with other members of
the surrounding community.
For ticket sales, a complete list of auction items and additional information please
visit www.hcaevents.org.
FACT OF FAITH
Lenten Almsgiving
By Rev Larry Rice, CSP
Vocations Director for the Paulist Fathers
During Lent, Catholics prepare for the celebration
of Easter by observing a penitential season of repentance, renewal, and on-going conversion. Lent
calls us back to the basics of our faith, acknowledging that we are all sinners, all in need of God’s grace.
Traditionally, Lent has been a time of renewed prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving.
TAJČI CONCERT IN HOBOKEN
Celebrating Lent
Differently
AN EVENING
OF MUSIC,
The Catholic
Parishes of Hoboken and Weehawken invite you to join us on FriPRAYER AND
REFLECTION
day, March 27 at 7:30pm for a transformational Lenten experience with interFEATURING
DAN SCHUTTE
nationally celebrated singer / songwriter Tajci. The event will be held at St Ann
composer of favorite songsChurch
including
I Am Lord”,
“Cityperformed
of God” music that reflects on Christ’s
and“Here
will feature
stunningly
“Table ofpassion.
Plenty”Tickets
and many
more
are available online at http://st-annchurch.bpt.me, the parish
office
or after BY:
masses beginning March 7. For more information about Tajci’s perSPONSORED
visitChurch
www.tajci.net.
St. Therese formances,
of Lisieuxplease
Catholic
For more information, contact Rosemarie Flood 201-384-3601, www.sjrc.org or
120 Monroe Ave
Cresskill, NJ 07626
Anne Masters at 973-639-6536, masteranrcan@gmail.com. Sponsored by St John
the Evangelist Church and the office for Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilevent details:
ities for the Newark Archdiocese, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark.Sunday, March 29, 2015
Of these three disciplines, almsgiving is probably the
least well understood. After all, works of charity and
giving to the poor are supposed to be part of how we
live in every season. But, just as Lent asks more of our
prayer, it also asks more of our generosity.
7:00 pm
St. Therese’s Music Ministry invites you to join us on Palm Sunday
for this Lenten concert as we prepare to celebrate
Christ’s Paschal Mystery during the Triduum.
An Evening of Music, Prayer and
Reflection featuring Dan Schutte
Free Will Offering
($10 Suggested Donation)
Join Dan Schutte, composer of favorite songs including "Here I am Lord", "city of God", "Table of Plenty"
and many more, for an evening of prayer and songs
sponsored and hosted by St Therese of Lisieux Catholic
Church in Cresskill. The event, held on Sunday, March
29 at 7 PM (Palm Sunday) will help you start Holy Week
and prepare for the celebration of Christ's Paschal mystery. Free-will offering ($10 suggested). St Therese of
Lisieux Church is located at 120 Monroe Ave, Cresskill. Dan Schutte
Dan has been composing music for worship for more than 30 years,
including extensive collaboration with the St. Louis Jesuits. His
more recent pieces exhibit an enduring ability to reach into people’s
hearts and draw them into prayer. He is one of the best-known, most
prolific and influential composers of music for the liturgy today.
for more information contact
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam Festival
Saint Peter’s Preparatory School and Saint Peter’s University invite you to the
First Ignatian Choral Festival on Saturday, March 28th at 7:30 PM (full concert, $10
a ticket), and Sunday, March 29th at 4 p.m. (free mini concert followed by mass)
featuring the choirs of: Sandford Park School from Dublin, Ireland, Saint Peter’s
Prep Vox, Saint Peter’s University Schola, Saint Dominic Academy Dominoes,
Philippine Choral Project and Inigo. Tickets for Saturday’s concert can be purchase at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1285055. Free for all students with
School ID, or $10. St Aedans Church, The St Peter's University Church, 800 Bergen
Avenue, Jersey city. Info: spp.vox@gmail.com or msantiago@saintpeters.edu
Adrian Soltys
201-567-2528 ext. 313
asoltys@sttheresecresskill.org
WI-2042
For many people, fasting and almsgiving are connected disciplines. The point of fasting, after all, isn’t
merely that we eat less, it could also mean that others can eat more, specifically those who live in poverty and hunger. One very popular Lenten almsgiving
program is provided by Catholic Relief Services. It’s
called Operation Rice Bowl. The core of the program
is a cardboard bowl. During Lent, we’re encouraged
to put our alms in the Rice Bowl. Seventy-five percent
of the funds collected go to hunger relief programs
around the world, and the remaining twentyfive
percent stay in your local Catholic diocese to aid local
hunger programs.
You can find information about Operation Rice Bowl
and request materials for it by visiting the Catholic
Relief Services website: orb.crs.org. They have resources for individuals, families, teachers and catechists, and for parishes.
However you choose to give to the poor this Lent,
whether you’re giving of your time, talent, or treasure,
this season can be an important time of spiritual renewal. Part of how we’re renewed is by acknowledging the many ways that God has blessed us and sharing those blessings with the poor and marginalized.
LENTEN DISCIPLINES:
One Reporter’s Journey
By Don clemmer
Interim Director of
Media Relations, USCCB
A few Lents back, I was still
working as a reporter at
the diocesan level. One of
the challenges of diocesan
reporting is to continually
find new angles to stories that
come up on a pretty cyclical
basis, and Lent is no exception.
That year, I decided to talk to a
handful of everyday Catholics
and get their personal take on
what the season of Lent—and
its disciplines—mean for them
and how it plays out in their
daily lives.
My hope was that I wouldn’t
just have a series of articles
cataloguing what half a dozen
people had given up that year—
chocolate, TV, foul language,
interrupting. But what I ended
up getting from my interview
subjects was far better than I’d
hoped for; it was an impressively
diverse cluster of reflections
that are still providing spiritual
encouragement years after the
fact.
There was Joyce, a parish RCIA
instructor whose job was to
guide people into the Church
year after year, culminating in
Lent and Easter. Against this
backdrop, she encouraged
candidates and catechumens
not to look at the Lenten
discipline of fasting as simply
giving something up, but of
discarding something about
oneself that causes separation
from God.
On some level, this is just a
minor change in perspective.
“I’m giving up excessive Internet
browsing because it makes me
fat and lazy” versus “I’m giving
up excessive Internet browsing
because it detracts from time
that could be spent in prayer,
etc.” Both acknowledge a form
of gluttony. One is more focused
on how the relationship with
God fits into it.
Another take on this perspective
is that an ungodly part of a
person dies during Lent so that
the person may be resurrected
anew.
Of course, along with death and
resurrection as recurring Lenten
themes come sacrifice and
suffering. These elements came
to the fore when I interviewed
Justin, a recent college graduate
who’d majored in religious
studies.
Justin’s thinking on Lent was
closely tied to his admiration
of the writings of Joseph
Ratzinger/ Pope Benedict XVI.
He cited an essay that describes
the love of Christ as a love
that went all the way, because
it refused to return violence
and instead poured itself out
completely. In the sacrifices of
Lent, we learn to show God a
love that weathers sacrifice. And
again, we die and rise again. In
short, Lent is learning to love
like Christ.
By this point, Lent sounds like a
great opportunity to completely
reinvent oneself . . . “I’m going to
take all those petty, indulgent,
sinful things about me, and I’m
going to purify myself by casting
them off! Sure it will hurt, but
the suffering unites me with
Christ and allows me to love
more perfectly!”
And that lasts about two days.
When I spoke to Father Joe, a
local pastor, he raised the point
that Lent is also about coming to
terms with one’s own weakness
and dependence on God. So
often, Catholics head into
Lent with great intentions of
penance and self-improvement,
but they get discouraged by
their inability to adhere to their
own commitments.
Father Joe said he urges
patience with oneself as part
of the Lenten discipline. Just as
the very act of fasting weakens
us and reminds us of our need
Don Clemmer
for nourishment, the challenges
of Lent remind us that only
by the grace of God can we do
anything.
The frustrations of Lent came
to light in an interview with
Charity, a high school senior
and aspiring photographer.
She catalogued her own Lenten
complications of years past, such
as woefully underestimating
her addiction to coffee or the
question of what a vegetarian
is supposed to do on a Lenten
Friday. In spite of these troubles,
the themes of Lent still loomed
in her life. Several of her friends
had met early deaths, and this
suffering had prompted her
to make her own deaths and
rebirths.
Charity’s approach to Lent itself
was novel. She took it upon
herself to reach out to her fellow
students—the
marginalized
and friendless. They would
look back on high school and
remember that at least one
person was nice to them, she
insisted.
At first, this seemed to fall
outside the realm of typical
Lenten disciplines. She wasn’t
exactly fasting from something.
But then I realized that Charity
had somehow managed to
leapfrog to a different level
of Lenten observance. After
all, if the sacrifice of Lenten
disciplines are supposed to
unite us with Christ and help us
love more fully, then it follows
that we would act on that love
by reaching out to other people
with charity.
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