CAPG's Blog 

"The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up. (Ps Lxviii. 12.) Thus I spake by the mouth of my prophet.

Of the zeal I had for God's holy temple I have repeated proofs. Twice did I cast out of it those who profaned its courts, with an indignation unwonted in me, and commanded that everything incongruous with the sanctity of that place should be expelled from it. (Jo. ii. 15, Math. xxi. 12).

And thou shouldst imitate me in the vehemence of a holy zeal, and not endure that my house of prayer, wherein I abide by my real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, should ever be profaned,

I have much against some of my priests; partly because they are timid and afraid to oppose themselves boldly to the profanations of the impious, and partly because they are negligent and careless in the things which concern my Divine worship.

From a spurious meekness or a false prudence they allow things to pass unrebuked, which become profane customs, and permit me to be insulted to my face in my own house.

If the profaners of my sanctuary saw that my priests were vigilant and severe guardians of my house, they would remain without, and I should not be so often insulted.

I have also to complain that they are careless and negligent in the things which serve for my worship. That decency and decorum which should ever be found there is often wanting.

Alas, there are some priests who would not endure that their own houses should be as unadorned, squalid, and dirty as they suffer my churches to be. They would not suffer in their rooms hangings and ornaments as forlorn and dusty as they permit on my altars; nor would they allow on their own table linen dirty and mended as is that which they use in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

Nor let them seek to excuse themselves on the plea of their church's property; for cleanliness and decency require no great outlay. Neither indeed would I allow any priest who has the holy zeal for my house to want for anything.

Neither let them say, that it is for others to look after the material wants of their church; because if they are negligent, my priests should show themselves careful: they at least are bound to remedy these evils, and put a stop to indecencies which offend the piety of my people and discourage their faith in holy things.

Do thou, therefore, strive to imitate me in this holy zeal; use every means to hinder every profanation of my church, and keep it with the greatest decency and cleanliness, as one should who really believes it is my house, in which it pleases me to dwell day and night by my real Presence."

Source: Jesus Christ the model of the priest (Of the Priest's zeal according to Christ.)[by G. Frassinetti] tr. by Rev. Msgr. J.L. Patterson 1874

Prayer to God to save the Church by Sanctifying His priests who have fallen away

O God, our Lord, we obey without delay to Thy gracious invitation to pray. Encouraged by Thy desire, we worship at your sacred feet, crying out to Thee for our guilty priests. Deign to be reminded, Lord, that Thy priestly Body is Thy crown of predilection, the splendor of Thy glory, the chosen part of Thy heritage.

We implore Thee to arm Thyself with holy indignation against Satan, who dared to plant the banner of sin in Thy own sanctuary, and to chase him away in shame from Thy solemnly dedicated domain.

What would it cost Thee, O Lord, to turn the most hardened hearts into penitents? Only one simple glance at Peter was enough to retrieve him from the abyss of a three times apostasy; would it cost Thee more to touch and convert those who have had the misfortune to imitate his weakness?

O Jesus, our King and Pontiff, we beseech Thee on behalf of Mary, Thy Mother and ours, save the Church, save Thy faithful, save Thy blessed honor, by saving priests! Amen.

Source: CAPG

"Did you get the ashes yet? They are giving them out at St. Mary’s at four. If we hurry we can get there on time. I never like to miss getting the ashes, you know.” On Ash Wednesday the lines form in the churches and as each person kneels at the altar rail, the priest puts a smudge of ashes on his forehead and says, “Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you will return.” What does it mean? Is it merely a reminder that we are to die and so should prepare by making a good Lent? Is it also a blessing? What response does it require of us?

Here we have a sign and we must understand it if we are to benefit by it. First we must see the complete sign. It is not just the action of the priest in putting the ashes on our foreheads and saying the appropriate words. An important part of the full sign is our action in going forward to have the ashes imposed on us. There is also the blessing of the ashes by the priest beforehand.

Let us suppose that a remote mission station, to which a priest can come only occasionally, is having its first Ash Wednesday service for the congregation there. What would be the best procedure for the priest to follow? He would preach to the people first, impressing on them the seriousness of sin, bringing them to face their own sinfulness honestly, moving them to sorrow and resolutions to change their lives, and stirring up in them confidence in God’s mercy. He would urge them to prepare for confession and to do penance. He would explain that Lent is a special time of penance for past sins and mortification to weaken the power of sin in us. Then he would suggest that those who were ready to repent and do penance should manifest this publicly by coming forward to the front of the church. There would be a resemblance here to the procedure followed by revivalist preachers, who get their hearers to “hit the sawdust trail,” but the Ash Wednesday ceremony is related to the sacrament of Penance and not to the revivalist’s “conversion by faith.”

When the people in our imaginary mission station would come forward, the priest would take some ashes and he would bless them, saying in the words which we can find in our missals, “O almighty God, spare those who are penitent, be merciful to those who beseech Thy mercy. ... In Thy goodness bless these ashes which we intend to put upon our heads in token of humility and that we may obtain pardon ...” and similar prayers. Finally he would ask each person who has come forward to kneel before him and he would put ashes on the head of each, saying, “Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you will return.”

Has this ceremony lost its impact on us by reason of long familiarity? Let us note again that the sign of this ceremony consists first in the action which each of us performs in coming forward in the presence of the rest of the congregation. It is a public act of humility, an admission by each one that he is a sinner. It is also a public declaration that he is repentant and is going to do penance. It is finally a profession of confidence in God’s mercy, dispensed to us in His Church.

We notice that in the prayers which the priest says in blessing the ashes that God’s grace is called down upon those who come forward humbly and penitently. So the most important thing in this whole ceremony is what is in our minds and hearts as we line up and come forward to have the ashes put on our heads. This is what this whole sign signifies. Our coming forward and the imposition of the ashes signify that we are penitents. It is our penitential spirit and our good intentions for Lent that make this ceremony meaningful.

Let us be more specific. If a man is in mortal sin he should be repentant and should intend to go to confession as soon as possible — that same day or very shortly after. All should examine their consciences and stir up sorrow for their sins. A person may have to decide on definite steps to solve some special problem, perhaps to break from some occasion of serious sin or to remove the causes that have disrupted or could disrupt his family. This may take more than a simple decision, and the person may need to confer at some length with a priest and work out the problem over a period of time.

Ash Wednesday is a good time to get started. For those whose lives are less complicated, it will be a matter of resolving to work more earnestly to root out their tendencies to sin and to be more considerate, cooperative, thoughtful in day to day living. Finally, our lining up for the ashes is a sign that we intend to obey the Lenten regulations issued by the Bishops, that is, the laws of fast and abstinence, along with the recommendations that we mortify ourselves, stay away from worldly amusements and perform works of charity.

Source: Find life in Lent by Rev. Shawn G. Sheehan, 1959

" The Workers: Those who have to work on Sundays are at the early Mass. God bless them! What would the Church do without such brave and generous worshipers? They work late and early, long and hard. Sunday and week day, often for low wages. Though they have large families to support, they always contribute to the collection-box and they are frequently at the Holy Table. It is there that they get the strength that enables them to make their hard lives so noble, so pure and so brave.

The Mothers: Behold the army of mothers who are in God's House before their loved ones are awake; or those busy ones who come later, when the children have been present with their bright faces, and pure hearts, and sweet voices in prayer and hymn at the Holy Sacrifice. How those noble mothers plan and plot to have the comfort of Sunday Mass and to teach their little ones by their example! How thankful they are for the little sermon that heartens them for the next week of their drab lives, even though they are worrying somewhat about the Sunday dinner they must prepare on their return home!
They love the Mass because it is so necessary for them in their hard lives. How our Lord loves such souls!

The Poor: There are those who slip into the church, as they say, at any Mass, because their clothes are not good enough for the solemn service at eleven. God loves these and no doubt pardons their weakness and understands it. Many of them have seen better days and now their spirit of resignation comes from the Sunday Mass. It stifles all complaints. One could wish that they had more courage, but is not their contentment with their lot quite brace and courageous! God help and bless them!

Young Men: Young men come who choose the shortest late Mass. I do not mean those who have worked far on into Saturday night and often even on Sunday morning, yet never fail to refresh their souls in God's House. No, I refer to the young men who wish to give God the least they can, who kneel on one knee guarding the holy water font with head bowed low with seeming devotion when the collection-box is passed around. What of these! Before the prayers are ended at the foot of the altar they are off, though in all probability they entered the vestibule about the time "the book was moved." What a sad state religion would be in if it were built on such as these! Not from such will salvation come to Israel. They will never build our schools or keep our churches open and in repair.

The Grumblers: Then there are the "sore heads," the permanent members of opposition. They never go to High Mass, for the music is either too loud or too soft; too long or too short. The Pastor follows the recommendations of Pope Pius the Tenth and has Gregorian chant, which our critics say was never intended for this country; or he doesn't seem to follow the Pope's wishes and they are not going "to encourage such disobedience." When the priest speaks of money they complain, as if the church could be supported by talk. Some have their own ideas of ritual and ceremonial, and as the priest prefers to take his rubrics from Rome, they go to an early Mass and thus escape the sermon which they sadly need.

The Lovers: Lastly there are those who love the Mass and the sermon and the ritual - men and women who give to God a service which is not stingy and niggardly, but a full and over flowing one. They look upon attendance at the Holy Sacrifice not as a hard, dry duty, but as an unspeakable privilege. They realize that all the wonders of the old Law dwindle into insignificance when compared with a single Mass in which the Sacrifice of Calvary is repeated on our altars! To these there is on earth no sweeter music than the sound of the Sanctus bell, no holier sight than a priest in vestments with hands uplifted, and they ever thank God for the joy of Holy Mass in their lives."

Source: Annals of Saint Joseph, Volumes 34-36 by the Norbertines Fathers 1922.

"Sometimes, when our Sisters are vilified, our priests libeled and every dogma of the Church mentioned in derisive terms, says the "Catholic Sun", it is rather difficult to hold oneself in leash. But, after all, what is to be gained by lowering oneself to billingsgate and abuse? Let the other fellow do that.

Nothing, after all, appeals like the truth. When it is set fort in truly Christian terms, it is convincing. Of course, there are minds so steeped in prejudice that nothing appeals. The illogical, rancorous contentions uttered by the Church's would-be destroyers, however, are of little moment. They come and go like the fleeting wind. Nothing of a lasting or substantial nature results from the misguided agitation of the opposition.
Neither the Church nor her adherents have anything to fear from this source. It is irritating, to be sure; but when one reverts to the words of our Divine Lord, who established the Catholic Church and who declared that He would be with it until the consummation of the world, why should not we possess our souls in peace and trust Him? He will not fail. His word was for all time, and for all time it will remain.

Source: Annals of St. Joseph Volumes 34-36 by the Norbertine Fathers, 1922

"Without Contradiction, the most perfect model of sanctity that God has given to His Church in our times is the Venerable John Mary Vianney, so well and so universally known, by the name of the parish which he sanctified and made a place of pilgrimage from all parts of the world, as the Curé of Ars.

One of the great means of sanctification which God has provided for souls is the devotion to His holy Mother. Mary is the intermediary between her Son and the souls who desire to come to Him. They who seek Jesus find Him in her arms; she presents Jesus to the simple and humble, as she presented Him to the Shepherds who came to adore Him in the stable of Bethlehem; she presents Him also to the learned and noble, as she presented Him to the magi, who came from the far East.

As therefore the Curé of Ars was distinguished for his holiness, we naturally expect to find in him a special love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin. And when we come to read his life we find it almost in the very first lines. He learnt it from his pious mother, who even before his birth had dedicated him to serve God in the priesthood, and the practice of it began on the very day of his birth (in the month of May), when he was baptized and received our Lady's name in addition to that of John.

He had hardly learned to speak when he already began to pray. Even at the age of three years old he joined in the prayers that were said by the family, and when the Angelus rang he was the first to kneel down and say it.

The first present that he received from his mother was a wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin. To him, who was already so serious and prayerful, this statue was more than a plaything; it was an object of pious veneration as well. Sixty years afterwards he would speak of it. "Oh, how I loved that statue !" he said. "Day or night I would never separate myself from it. I should not have slept in peace if I had not had it by my side in my little bed."

A priest once asked him how long he had loved the Blessed Virgin. He replied, "I loved her almost before I could know her. . . . When I was very little I had a pretty rosary. My sister wanted to have it, and this was one of my earliest sorrows. I went to speak to my mother about it; she advised me to give it up for love of God. I did so, but it cost me many tears."

When he was seven years old the little John Mary Vianney was sent to the fields to take charge of his father's sheep. He was accustomed always to take with him his little statue of the Blessed Virgin. When his sheep were in safety, and he could without danger relax his watchfulness over them, he would make a little altar with sods, and on it he would enthrone his statue. Then he would gather his companions - young children occupied like himself - around it, and would recite with them the Hail Marys of the Rosary, and then he would preach to them gravely in moving and expressive terms. He never lacked a congregation on these occasions; his piety was not disagreeable to his companions, on the contrary it made him amiable and winning; they were disappointed if he happened to be absent, and welcomed him with joyful shouts when he arrived amongst them. Nothing pleased him better than to have his companions join with him in some such pious exercise, but when he was alone he did not regret his solitude. He would place his little statue in the hollow trunk of some tree, and there he would pass long hours absorbed in prayer. Sometimes his companions would mind his sheep for him in order to give him time for prayer, in which, as they knew, he took so much delight.

As he grew older he was employed in more laborious work in the fields, but even in this his devotion to our Lady accompanied him and helped him. Before beginning his work he used to place an image of our Lady some distance before him, and then work on towards it, praying all the while that the Blessed Virgin would help him to keep up with his brother, much older and stronger than he, who was working close by. Then, when he had reached the statue, he would take it up and place it some distance further on, and work on towards it, and so he would continue till the day's labour was over. His brother was compelled to own that the Blessed Virgin had indeed helped John Mary, and had enabled him to do as much work as he had been able to accomplish himself.

We cannot doubt that this special devotion to our Lady obtained for John Mary Vianney many interior graces, and powerfully helped him on in the path of sanctification. But, besides this, there were some special favours that evidently seemed to come in answer to his prayers to his holy Mother. The whole of his life hinged on his escape from military service. It was during the wars of the first Napoleon, when every effort was made in order to secure young men for the army. John Mary was at this time an ecclesiastical student, and as such was exempted from service, but by some mistake his name was included in the list of those liable to serve, and he was drawn at the conscription. It was a terrible blow to him, for all his desires were to be a priest. Nevertheless, he submitted, and took his way to Bayonne, where he was to join his regiment. He thought of deserting, and certainly he would have committed no sin had he done so, for the law itself exempted him, and but for an unfortunate mistake he would have been left free to continue his studies for the priesthood. But he did not dare to desert. A strict search was made for such as did so, and they were treated with the greatest severity; not long before he had himself seen deserters brought back in chains, and the idea of being treated in the same fashion filled him with horror.

Filled with these gloomy thoughts of his frustrated vocation, he pursued his way to join his regiment. He had recourse to the Blessed Virgin for consolation, and in order to obtain it from God through her intercession he recited his Rosary. No sooner had he done this than an unknown individual accosted him, and asked him what made him so sad. John Mary told his story. Without further discussion, the unknown bade him follow him, telling him that from him he had nothing to fear, and that he would take him to a place of safety. John Mary followed his guide across the country, over hills and through woods, scarcely ever passing by a public road or an inhabited house, until at last he brought him to a remote village, where he remained undiscovered though not unsearched for. He never knew who his guide was; but he looked on him as a messenger sent by heaven in answer to his Rosary.

When, later on, he had been ordained priest, and the parish of Ars had been confided to his care, he was not unmindful of the graces which he had received through the devotion to our Blessed Lady and her Rosary. At this time, Ars was far from being edifying by the piety and virtue of its people. He adopted two means for their reformation; the one was the devotion to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, and the other the devotion to His holy Mother. He encouraged the former by bringing his people to frequent Communion, and to frequently visiting the Blessed Sacrament; the other he promoted by means of the Rosary. He remembered, too, that the confraternities the most encouraged by the Church are those of the Blessed Sacrament and the Rosary, while they are also the most ancient and the most universal, and he therefore resolved that these two confraternities should be established in his parish, and that through them he would reform his people. From the beginning, he established the practice of reciting the Rosary in public every night in the church; meanwhile he waited an opportunity of establishing his confraternity.

That opportunity soon came. One Sunday evening several young people, who were far from being the most fervent of his parishioners, remained in the church for confession. The holy Curé noticed them, and said to himself, "Now I have got them! My confraternity is found!" He went towards them, and said, "My children, if you like, we will say the Rosary together, to ask of the Queen of Virgins to obtain for you the grace to do well what you are about to do." The conversion of several of these young persons dates from that moment. The Curé of Ars looked upon this as his first conquest; it was followed by many more, until at length the parish was completely transformed.

The holy priest was not ungrateful to her through whose prayers he acknowledged that he had obtained this signal grace. He always caused the feasts of the Blessed Virgin to be devoutly celebrated at Ars; on these days the communions were always numerous, and the attendance of people large. Everywhere in the village her image is to be seen, from the front of the church to the interior of the poorest cottage. He loved to speak of this good Mother. He used to say,"The heart of Mary is so full of tenderness for us that the hearts of all mothers put together would be but a lump of ice compared to hers. I think that at the end of the world the Blessed Virgin will be at rest, but as long as the world lasts she will be bothered on all sides."

His own great resource when he was in any special difficulty was to walk out into the country, with his beads in his hand, saying the Rosary. On one such occasion he was greatly troubled by the want of money with which to pay the workmen who were engaged on his new chapel of St. John Baptist; he had nothing, for he had given away all he had to the poor. On the day of which we are speaking he had got but a very short distance from the village, when he was met by a gentleman on horseback, an entire stranger to him, who stopped, raised his hat respectfully, and inquired after his health. "I am not amiss," replied the good priest, "but I am in great trouble." "What!" said the gentleman, "do your parishioners give you pain ?" "On the contrary," was the reply,"they have much more consideration for me than I deserve. That which troubles me is that I have just been building a chapel, and that I have no money with which to pay for it." The unknown seemed to reflect for a moment, then took twenty-five gold pieces from his pocket, and gave them to M. Vianney. "Sir," he said, "this will pay your workmen. I recommend myself to your prayers." He then disappeared at a gallop, without leaving the priest time to think where he was.

On another occasion he had bought from one of his parishioners a considerable quantity of corn. This was for the use of his "Providence," as he called the house where he maintained a large number of orphan girls. He had not the means of paying for this corn, and he therefore begged his creditor to give him a little time, and this was willingly granted him. However, the time stipulated approached its close, and he was still without means. He therefore went out into the country, and recited his Rosary, recommending his poor little orphans to the Mother of the poor. His prayer was heard without delay. A woman came up to him suddenly, and said, "Are you the Curé [parish priest] of Ars ? "Yes, my good woman." "Here is some money that I have been told to give to you," she continued. "Is it for masses?" he asked. "No, sir," was the reply; "your prayers are asked for the giver." Thereupon the woman emptied her purse into his hands, and he never knew who she was, or from whom she had come.

For many years before the death of the Curé of Ars scarcely any good work of importance was undertaken in France without being submitted to him, and receiving his blessing. Thus it happened that when the Perpetual Rosary, which had for many years almost fallen into disuse, was being revived, the work was submitted to the holy priest. As soon as he had understood the nature of the devotion he cried out, "Oh, this work is beautiful, very beautiful! It is a divine work, and it is destined to produce great fruits in men's souls and in the Church. I unite myself to it with all my heart, and I wish to be united in intention to all the hours of prayer, both by day and night."

Some time after this, the registers containing the names of those who had been enrolled in the Perpetual Rosary up to that time were presented to him that he might bless them. He did so, saying, "I bless all the names that are inscribed, and those that shall be inscribed; I unite myself in intention to all the hours, in this world and in the other, if God gives me the grace to receive me into this happy eternity."

The holy Cure of Ars died in 1859, on the 4th of August, the feast of St. Dominic, to whom our Lady revealed the devotion of the Rosary."

Source: The monthly magazine of the holy rosary; under the direction of the Dominican fathers, Vol 5. 1877 p155

"The priest as the perfect man of God must be the "light of the world." As Pius XII expressed it: "...this the appointed aim of the Catholic priesthood: to act as the supernatural sun, illuminating the minds of men with the truth of Christ and inflaming their hearts with the love of Christ. To this end and appointed purpose all the preparation and formation of a priest must conform." (Pius XII, Discourse to the seminarians of the Roman Colleges, June 24, 1939, Veuillot, II, p 22)

It is the priest's task to preserve in the world a "sense of the supernatural" - which the world is constantly in danger of losing and which in fact a large segment of our modern world has already lost. It is the task of the priest of Jesus Christ to bring to the world the clear vision of one who sees the proper relationship between man and God. He it is who must withstand all the corrosive elements of human existence and, being made strong himself, must fulfill his role as "steward of the mysteries of God" by dispensing to men the message and the means of salvation.

The priest must be faithful to this sacerdotal function at all times. He is not a priest merely when he sits in the confessional or when he ascends the altar. As sacred as these activities are, it is a woeful error to conceive of preparation for the priesthood simply as the training of good confessors or devout ministers of the altar. The Catholic priesthood stand at the very point of conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. It is a powerful weapon in the hands of Christ the King in His battle with the kingdom of darkness. The priest fulfills his role as instrument of salvation first of all in his person."

Source: Rev. John J. King, OMI The American Ecclesiastical Review, Vol. 144 1961 page 361

Prayer to Our Lady of Desolation, For the Universal Triumph of the Faith.

O Mother of the Church, Mother most desolate, who didst consent to prolong for fifteen years thine exile upon earth that thou mightiest be the guide, and help and nursing Mother of the Infant Church; let thy maternal care be extended over her now as ever. Let thy great virtues and privileges be her shield and buckler.

Obtain for the Church and her rulers in her many tribulations an increase of light, courage, and devotion. Let thy powerful intercession bring back to the Faith all countries and peoples who have denied thy Son, and fallen into heresy and schism.

May thy protection be extended specially over us thy Children, remembering the words that Jesus spoke from the Cross that not one may be lost, but remaining steadfast in the Faith they may persevere to the end.

Build again the altars once consecrated to Jesus and to thee. And thus, O our Mother, bring us all as one fold to one Shepherd, to the honor and glory of God. Amen

Source: Mary in sorrow and desolation, Help of the Holy Catholic Church. With the Ritual of the Confraternity of our Lady of Dolours Servites Burns, Oates, and Company, 1868

"The idea of penance is all too commonly associated with the external act. This materialistic notion of penance works one of two evils: its entire neglect or its unworthy performance. The superficial are satisfied in the external act of penance; the self-indulgent find it too burdensome to attempt. So penance has lost its prestige and our age has wandered far from its spirit. A confirmation of this, which needs no commentary, is the dictionary definition which declares the word obsolete except as applied to the sacramental penance given by the priest. This is an index of how almost entirely the idea of penance is lost outside the Church, and it would often seem that, even in the minds of the children of the Church, its practice is frequently restricted to this sacred obligation lightly performed. And yet penance is an essential for everlasting life.

And why?
Because all true penance is in its nature sacramental: it is an outward sign of inward grace. Its action is twofold: it is not only a turning away from sin but a re-turning unto God. Indeed the closer union of the soul with God is the primary purpose of penance and it fails of its purpose when it fails in this. Man was made for God; sin frustrated this purpose; the Passion and Death of the Man-God alone was capable of restoring the union severed by sin: of admitting mankind again to the state of grace; only t!he application of the merits of Jesus Christ to the individual soul enables it to “bring forth fruits worthy of penance.” In other words, outside of the state of grace, no act, however good in itself, is efficacious for expiation. This fact shows that penance indicates a state of grace: sorrow for sin and a certain union with Christ, and implies a strong motion towards closer union with Him. This interior and necessary quality of penance cannot* be too strongly accentuated. Without it a lifetime spent in good works is waste; with it every simplest thought, word or deed enriches the soul with the infinite treasures of Divine Love and gives immense glory to God: “In this is My Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become My disciples” (John xv. 8).

Truly, therefore, the external act is but a means to an end, and that end is not the self-satisfaction of having expiated personal sin but the impulse of love to remove all that is obnoxious to the Beloved, that withdraws the soul from His embrace. It is but the body giving effect to the will of the spirit which vivifies and impels it. The external act of penance is good, even necessary, as the tangible and visible expression of the soul’s purpose to remove every obstacle that impedes its progress towards God, but lacking the true spirit, it resolves itself into dust.

This interior purpose shines through every penance prescribed by the Church. During the seasons of penance, and most especially during Lent, she urges us to turn aside, not only from sinful pursuits but even from those harmless and legitimate, in order to have more time for God: to enter more fully into the life of Christ; to participate in His Passion as willing disciples and explore the depths of His love. We frustrate this purpose when we compromise with this spirit and find ready excuse for frequenting entertainments, not evil to be sure, but time consuming and fatiguing, leaving less time and taste for prayer, an inability to rise for early Mass, an un-readiness for Holy Communion. The prescription of the marriage ceremony, the counsel to continence has in view the purification and uplifting of the bond of human love. In withdrawal the soul sees in better perspective the divine purposes of matrimony and its holy responsibilities: abstinence cultivates strength in unselfishness and subordinates lust to reason and will. The very mitigations of the law of fast and abstinence in regard of food, prove that the law was not fashioned as an end in itself, but to cultivate temperance and force home the purpose of appetite: to preserve life; and to enforce the spiritual truth that we must come to God empty, if we would be filled.

It thus becomes evident that weakness of body neither excuses nor debars from penance. The spirit of the law is open to all. And in the practical cultivation of this spirit, the letter of the law will acquire new meaning and attraction. Far from wishing to elude it, many will seek to fulfill it in larger measure.

What we will make of Lent in practice depends upon ourselves. The opportunities are large and the grace of God sufficient. "

Source: Lent in Practice by Fr. John Burke, Paulist