Catechism Corner | Why Do We Observe Lent at All?

​What is the point of Lent? What does the church say is the point of Lent?

The first prayer of the first mass of Lent goes like this: "Grant, o Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service," like this military campaign. So that, as we take up the battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.

The Church says that Lent is a battle against my own flesh; those temptations in my life that move me away from God. The church says that Lent is a battle against the things of the world that take my attention off God. The church says that Lent is a battle against the devil and his angels, and the church in her wisdom knows that we cannot do it alone.

Refocus, recommit, repent. Every year the church gives us this season of Lent where we all, so to speak, come to the "gym" together, where we all, go out into the "desert" together. Some of us do more difficult penances than others; some of us do different penances than others. Some of us are weaker, some of us are stronger, but all of us are doing the penance together! And all of us are skipping meat on Fridays together, in the whole world! All of us are fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday together, in the whole world! All of us are praying for one another, cheering each other on that we might refocus, recommit, and repent.

And you know, all that is pretty much how Lent started. From the time of the apostles, we would fast; we as Christians would fast in preparation for the feast. We fast for Lent to prepare for Easter. Almost 1,500 years ago when people were wanting to come into the church to be baptized, they would enter into 40 days, more or less, of prayer and of fasting, to get ready. A long, long time ago, almost in the beginning of the church, when people were public sinners --murderers, adulterers, apostates, people who left the church, ---they would come at the beginning of Lent, put ashes on their heads, and repent and do penance, so as to be forgiven on Easter. And very soon other Christians said: I might already be a Christian, but I need to recommit to the commitment of my baptism. Pretty soon all the rest of the Christians said: I might not be a public sinner: I might not be a murderer or an adulterer or an apostate, someone who left the church, but I am a sinner! Even though not everybody can see my sin, even though my sin might not be mortal or grave, I am a sinner and I need to repent, too. I want to be in solidarity with my brothers and sisters. My brothers and sisters who are catechumens preparing to be baptized, my brothers and sisters who are penitents, who have done horrible public sins, but whom I love! Because they are Christians, too. And I am going to cheer them all by my penance and I am going to walk with them by my penance. And all of us are going to recommit, repent, and refocus together.

So this Lent, and every Lent, refocus, recommit, repent. Don't give up. Don't let the enemy drag you down. Persevere, suffer through! Engage with Lent and know, whatever your Lent is like, whatever your struggles are, that the whole church throughout the world, and throughout the centuries, is praying for you and is with you this Lent!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB5OcyHRvhM

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.