SSPX-US District Superior's Letter to the Faithful

As we enter this season of Lent, Holy Mother Church impresses upon us the necessity of fasting. This term refers not only to denying ourselves bodily food, but also in a broader sense to mortifying ourselves in any manner, that is, of willingly embracing something hard for the love of God. On Ash Wednesday the Church reminds us in the Gospel that we must do this willingly and joyfully, not slavishly and under a certain compulsion. Our Savior told us that unless we willingly enter by the "narrow gate" we shall hope in vain to conquer our rebellious nature.

The mention of penance is not very pleasant to our slothful human nature. It tells of something that we would fain avoid. However, when we consider the reasons of penance, we are more willing to hear about it.

In the prayers for the blessing of the ashes we read the words: "We begin the exercises of Christian warfare with the holy fasts of Lent, wherein we fight against the spirits of evil with the weapon of abstinence." Here we are reminded of the importance of the weapons of prayer and fasting in our fight against the prince of this world.

The Church, having in mind the ancient Ninivites, who by doing penance in sackcloth and ashes sought to atone for their sins and so appease the anger of God, puts ashes on our heads, saying: "Remember, man, that thou art dust and into dust thou shalt return." She does this for the humiliation of our pride and to remind us of the sentence of death which we should suffer as the result of sin.

This ceremony is the remains of an old ceremony spoken of in the Roman Pontifical. In the first ages of the Church those who had committed grave faults were obliged to do public penance. On Ash Wednesday the bishop blessed the hair shirts, which they were to wear during the forty days, and sprinkled over them ashes made from the palms which had been used in the procession on Palm Sunday of the previous year. Then, while the faithful chanted the Seven Penitential Psalms, "the penitents were turned out of the holy place because of their sins, as Adam, the first man, was turned out of paradise on account of his disobedience." (Roman Pontifical) It was not till Maundy Thursday that they were again allowed to enter the church, and in the meantime they were obliged to wear the penitential clothing which had been given to them, so that by forty days’ penance, with confession and sacramental absolution, they might again be found worthy of the company of the faithful.

The Mass on Ash Wednesday is filled with these thoughts. The Introit says: "God, indeed, pardons the sins of men for the sake of their repentance." The Epistle adds: "He is rich in mercy to those who are converted to Him with all their heart, in fasting, in weeping, and in mourning."

Nor is fasting only for past sin but also to preserve us from future sin as St. Paul says: "I chastise my body, lest...I should become a castaway." (I Cor. ix. 27.)

We know the old saying, that if you want to reach a man, the shortest way is through his appetite. Now if we apply that to fasting, we come to a spiritual conclusion. By denying the appetite we reach the soul; in other words, the soul is thereby made to suffer something, and that something makes it more meritorious in the sight of God and stronger in itself. Sobriety is therefore rightly held up to us as a very special virtue for Lent.

In the world, where there is hardly a single regulation for Lent, we have a great contrast. Godlessness reigns. Sin is not realized. And therefore the effects of sin are not felt as they should be. Why, then, should the worlding do penance? In fact, he says it would be foolish for him to deny himself the things of this life; and he considers us fools for obeying the Church.

In the Saints we see just the opposite of what we see in the world. What do they say? Not "Why should we do penance?" but "Why should we not do penance." Even those who were the most innocent, as the Little Flower, were careful to make things hard for themselves rather than too easy. We might begin with St. John the Baptist and go down through the ages —all the servants of God did penance —yes, they consistently led penitential lives.

It behooves each one of us, therefore, to make at least one good resolution for this holy season of Lent. Whether it be fasting from food and drink or, if dispensed from fasting, we compensate by some other penance, let us not shirk the weighty obligation of doing penance in some form to which everyone is bound. "Unless you do penance, you shall all likewise perish." (Lk. xiii. 3.)

I've always loved Lent, and remember with awe the way all the statues were covered in purple cloth until Easter and Our Lord's Resurrection.

I found the following moving passage at an Orthodox website: http://www.melkite.org/Lent.htm#FastAbstinence

"From the creation of our Parents in Paradise to the time after the great flood, people ate only fruits, grains and vegetables. This is the food of paradise! The practice of abstinence reminds us of our high calling to manage all creation in the Name of the Lord. Our hunger for meat and other rich food serves as a reminder of the enmity that exists in creation as a result of sin. Especially during this holy season when the liturgy reminds us of the role that the stars, the angels, the earth itself, the beasts of the field, the ox and the ass all played in receiving the Savior of the world, abstinence calls us to set aside our enmity even with the animals in order to restore peace on earth."

Thank you for posting this.

I regret that the new schism in the Catholic church seems to be widening, while every logic suggests it should be an instrument of growth. I can think of no better ecumenical message than this simple and straightforward discourse on the fundamentals of Christianity.

The Church, having in mind the ancient Ninivites, who by doing penance in sackcloth and ashes sought to atone for their sins and so appease the anger of God, puts ashes on our heads, saying: "Remember, man, that thou art dust and into dust thou shalt return." She does this for the humiliation of our pride and to remind us of the sentence of death which we should suffer as the result of sin.

The union of the Christian Church will not come about in a theological resolution of differences, nor in a triumphal celebration of the truths we hold in common. It will be a product of a collective act of penance.

Thank you for the great post. It is so refreshing to hear a Catholic bishop speak. Contrast your post with my local ordinarys' Lenten message at:

http://www.seattlearch.org/FormationAndEducation/Progress/From+the+Archbishop+02-17-05.htm

I also posted it below. It starts out ok, but goes quickly downhill. What about prayers and fasting, your excellency???

Our Lenten call: Trust in God, reach out to others
Archbishop Alex J. Brunett

Lent reminds us that hope for our world rests in our obedient response to God. After his baptism Jesus did not hesitate when, as Scripture tells us, he “was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” (Mt 4:1) In this week’s reading “Abram went as the Lord directed him…” (Gen 12:4).

In a region of the country that places a premium on rugged individualism, we are often tempted to center our attention and put our trust in ourselves. A successful Lenten journey with Jesus, however, is not self-centered or self-sufficient. It depends instead on trust in God and our own obedient response to Jesus, who asks us to follow him into the desert.

As we obey this Lenten call, our steps inevitably lead us away from selfish concerns and the illusion of self-sufficiency toward a greater concern for the needs of others and deepening reliance on God.

This weeks Progress includes numerous stories about those in our faith community whose obedient response has led them to action and advocacy for others. National St. Vincent de Paul President Eugene B. Smith discusses the need for funding to meet the needs of the poor. Smith tells the story of how Vincentians meet face-to-face with those in need of food, clothing or housing assistance.

This ministry is very active in the Archdiocese of Seattle with more than 1,000 Vincentians growing in their own spirituality by offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering. Another active local ministry supported by the Archdiocese is the Archdiocesan Housing Authority (AHA).

This week we hear about efforts that seek increased legislative assistance for local nonprofits like AHA. These efforts are designed to raise $100 million for more housing units to serve low-income families that need a roof over their head.

Boosting the housing fund will be one of the legislative issues targeted at Catholic Advocacy Day on Thursday, Feb. 24 in Olympia. Catholic Advocacy Day is an opportunity for people of faith to be part of solution that is “Providing Help – Creating Hope,” the theme of this year’s event. The day starts at 10:30 a.m. at St. Michael’s Church, 1021 Boundary St. S.E, with a briefing on legislative issues.

One of the most visible witnesses of our Catholic faith community’s values has been our outreach and hospitality to the homeless. Two parish communities have welcomed Tent City 4 to their parish campuses recently and now Seattle University is hosting Tent City 3 through the end of February.

Hosting tent city has been a learning experience and an opportunity for deeper conversion for all involved. In addition to the parishes hosting tent city, many Catholic faith communities have organized to provide meals, transportation and other forms of support for residents. One of those groups includes students of St. Monica’s School.

You can read about the innovative method Eighth-grade teacher Pat Briardy used to get the student body at the Mercer Island elementary school to collect toiletries, tents, sleeping bags, tarps, blankets and other items for the residents. Their story is an important reminder of the energy and enthusiasm young people bring to our charitable efforts when they are invited.

It was my privilege to offer a healing Mass on the World Day of the Sick, Feb. 11, at Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle. It was a special privilege to know that I celebrated this Mass and met with those in need of healing in communion with our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, who blessed the sick after a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on the same day. The Pope’s active ministry despite his recent illness and physical frailty provide a powerful witness for all of us to follow this Lent. As we journey with Jesus in this season, the pope’s continued ministry reveals his complete trust in God and his deep concern for others.

These stories and many, many more untold acts of charity and advocacy for the poor and marginalized are our story as a people of faith. They are the result of our decision to act on our encounter with Christ in the desert, and they are bringing light and life to our world.

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