The three traditional pillars of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Although practices may differ from person to person and church to church, following are our Lenten pastoral plans at Our Lady of Lourdes:
Carpe Diem Tell the truth, when you think of the month of February, what’s the first thing that pops into your mind? Groundhog’s Day? Superbowl LII, Valentine chocolate? Chinese New Year? Mardi Gras parades? All do happen in this month, 2018. Our parish family wants to offer you two additional considerations. FIRST: Our parish feast day is February 11 and we memorialize the experiences of a 14 year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous with Our Lady of Lourdes (a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary) venerated in honor of 18 apparitions. Bernadette first saw Mary on this date at a hollowed out rock in 1858 in the vicinity of Lourdes, France. She described what she saw: “I saw a lady dressed in white. She wore a white dress, an equally white veil, a blue belt and a yellow rose on each foot.” Upon seeing the Lady, who had a Rosary draped over her right arm, Bernadette began praying the Rosary. When the prayer ended, the Lady suddenly vanished. Bernadette was canonized a saint in 1933. The Song of Bernadette is a 1943 biographical, drama film based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Franz Werfel. The movie won four Oscars at the 1943 Academy Awards. Today, the Lourdes Grotto (France) is about hope and healings of all kind – physical, spiritual, emotional - in prayer, people enter the famous Lourdes bath waters in utter openness to God’s will. The procession of the Blessed Sacrament, Mass at the grotto and the nightly candlelight procession are among other highlights for pilgrims. Our human condition means we are always in need of healing.
Our parish will commemorate Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday, February 11, with a Rosary Procession on Westchester Boulevard after the 5:30 evening Mass. We will then return to the Church for Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament. Everyone is welcome to join us in these prayerful opportunities whether through devotion or curiosity. SECOND: Mardi Gras is Tuesday, February 13. At midnight, Rex and Comus traditionally meet and the Carnival season disappears in tons of trash that signal the official beginning of the season of LENT on Ash Wednesday. Lent is considered a time for Christians to reflect, repent, and pray as a way of preparing their hearts for Holy Week and Easter. It is commonly observed by many Christian denominations—Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and others—although not every Christian denomination does so. Because Lent is not officially instituted in Scripture, observing it isn’t in any way a “requirement” of Christianity. However, Christians from many different theological persuasions choose to observe it as a way of focusing their thoughts on Jesus Christ. Let the Latin proverb, Carpe Diem (seize the day) be your challenge to make the most of each and every day of Lent leading you to the Resurrection joy of Christ this Easter. United in the suffering Jesus,
Reverend W.C. Paysse Pastor
PRAYER Ash Wednesday (Valentine, 2/14): Masses, followed by ashes: 8:30am; 12:05pm; 6:30pm Confessions: 5:00-6:15pm (Job 42:4-6 offers an example of ash used as a symbol of repentance.) Wednesdays of Lent: Confessions: 5-6:15pm; Mass: 6:30pm Fridays of Lent: Stations of the Cross Stations: 8am; Mass: 8:30am Stations: 6pm; Mass: 6:30pm FASTING Fasting the 40 days of Lent (for Catholics 18-59 year olds means the two collations should not equal another full meal) and abstinence from meat is observed on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays. As an exercise in prayerful self-denial, personal choices to give up chocolate, beer, or other personal preferences during Lent are considered a sacrifice. When one abstains from meat but eats a shrimp po-boy or red fish stuffed with crab that may not exactly be a sacrifice. Abstinence and other self-denial are a spiritual link to those whose diets and lifestyles are sparse and simple. ALMSGIVING Almsgiving, the third traditional pillar of Lent is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all that God has given to us. Works of charity, support of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), or Friends of St. Anthony, the promotion of justice, and volunteering time and talent are integral elements of Gospel living and giving.