Q U I C K S C A N

Why do we give things up for Lent?
Why do we fast and abstain from meat during Lent?
What are the Scrutinies?

Readers reflect on "In Forgiving, We Die to Self"

Why do we give things up for Lent?

For most older Catholics, the first thought that Lent brings to mind is giving something up, as they did when they were children. For many children, the sweets or sibling arguments they foreswear during Lent start up again with zeal on Easter. This is understandable in children, but the rest of us should try to remember that Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ.

Adapted from Catholic Update.

Why do we fast and abstain from meat during Lent?

Fasting is one of the most ancient practices linked to Lent. In fact, the paschal fast predates Lent as we know it. The early Church fasted intensely for two days before the celebration of the Easter Vigil. This fast was later extended and became a 40-day period of fasting leading up to Easter. Vatican II called us to renew the observance of the ancient paschal fast.

Fasting is more than a means of developing self-control. It is often an aid to prayer, as the pangs of hunger remind us of our hunger for God. The prophet Isaiah insists that fasting without changing our behavior is not pleasing to God. "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own" (Is 58:6-7).

Fasting should be linked to our concern for those who are forced to fast by their poverty, those who suffer from the injustices of our economic and political structures, those who are in need for any reason. Fasting can help us realize the suffering that so many people in our world experience every day, and it should lead us to greater efforts to alleviate that suffering.

Abstaining from meat traditionally also linked us to the poor, who could seldom afford meat for their meals. It can do the same today if we remember the purpose of abstinence and embrace it as a spiritual link to those whose diets are sparse and simple. That should be the goal we set for ourselves-a sparse and simple meal. Avoiding meat while eating lobster misses the whole point!

Adapted from Catholic Update.

What are the Scrutinies?

These ritual celebrations on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent are communal prayers celebrated around those preparing for Baptism to strengthen them to overcome the power of sin in their lives and to grow in virtue. To scrutinize something means to examine it closely. The community does not scrutinize the catechumens; the catechumens scrutinize their own lives and allow God to scrutinize them and to heal them.

There is a danger in celebrating the Scrutinies if the community thinks of the elect as the only sinners in our midst who need conversion. All of us are called to continuing conversion throughout our lives, so we join with the elect in scrutinizing our own lives and praying to God for the grace to overcome the power of sin that still infects our hearts.

Many parishes today seek to surface the concrete issues that the elect need to confront; these issues then become the focus of the intercessions during the Scrutinies. Some parishes extend this discernment process to the wider community so that all are called to name the ways that evil continues to prevent them from living the gospel fully. Even if the parish does not do this in an organized way, every Catholic should spend some time reflecting on what obstacles to gospel living exist in his or her own life. Then when the Scrutinies are celebrated, we will all know that the prayers are for us as well as for the elect.

Taking seriously this dynamic of scrutiny and conversion gives us a richer perspective on Lenten "giving up." What we are to give up more than anything else is sin, which is to say we are to give up whatever keeps us from living out our baptismal promises fully. Along with the elect we all need to approach the season of Lent asking ourselves what needs to change in our lives if we are to live the gospel values that Jesus taught us. Our journey through these forty days should be a movement ever closer to Christ and to the way of life he has exemplified for us.

Adapted from Catholic Update.

Learn more about Lent at AmericanCatholic.org's feature, Lent: Call to Conversion.

Friar Jack's Inbox

Readers respond to Friar Jack's reflections on "In Forgiving, We Die to Self"

Dear Friar Jack: I found the comment about God not planning or wanting Jesus to die on the cross interesting. Can you elaborate further or give some references on books to read about this?—Brian

Response from Friar Jack: It's my experience, Brian, that when we humans discuss God's role in human suffering, we walk on a very slippery path. It's a tricky topic. In a way of speaking, one might say that God "wanted" Jesus to die on the cross—in the sense that God wanted Jesus to accept courageously whatever challenge life or sinful people might throw at him. But I don't believe that thoughtful theologians today would present the all-loving God as directly wishing or planning for Jesus or any other person to suffer some terrible disaster.

The Bible often uses dramatic and figurative language to make a point, such as when Isaiah says of the suffering servant (often taken as a figure of Christ): "It was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain" (see Isaiah 53:10). But we need to understand this and other such passages correctly in the light of who our loving God really is—as revealed by the Bible as a whole. That is what I was attempting to do, within a very short space, in my Musings column. It's not easy to give a brief answer to such a complex question. That's why I would like to refer you the Catholic Update article, "Why Must I Suffer?", where I treat this topic at greater length.

Why no comments on the proposed war with Iraq? A few of you have raised the question as to why I have said little or nothing about this enormously important issue of our day. I agree that the issue cries out for comment. The main reason I have not recently addressed the topic is that in the course of last year, I wrote at least three columns about violent and non-violent ways of dealing with September 11, 2001. The ideas shared in those columns pretty well resonate with my feelings about the war on Iraq. My general view is that violence is not the answer. I fully support the position of Pope John Paul II in questioning the wisdom of this war. Those of you who have only recently become subscribers of Friar Jack's E-spirations are cordially invited to examine the following three musings of Friar Jack of 2002: "How We Talk About Evil" (February); "Musing About Evil—Round Two" (March); and "First Anniversary of 9/11" (September).

Send your feedback to friarjack@franciscanmedia.org. Find resources and inspiration for your Lenten journey at Lent: Call to Conversion, our feature at AmericanCatholic.org.

A Message From Friar Jack

Welcome! I hope you'll enjoy all of the news about what's happening at AmericanCatholic.org, as well as my "musings." By the way, I am a real Franciscan friar. You can find out more about me here.

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