The Forty Days of Lent

A Season of Spiritual Awakening

Christians have observed a penitential season in preparation for Easter since the early centuries of the Church. In our own time three main religious practices are emphasized during Lent - prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These three practices are the subject of the Gospel reading from the Catholic liturgy for Ash Wednesday.

By prayer we open our hearts to our Father so we can hear his Word and be transformed by his Spirit. By fasting we empty ourselves of bodily satisfaction so we can feel a hunger for God's love. By almsgiving we detach ourselves from worldly things so we can set our hearts on the kingdom of heaven.

Spare your people, Lord. Do not treat us as our sins deserve, but look upon us kindly and show mercy to us.

+Open our eyes that we may see and acknowledge the wrongs we have done.

+Open our hearts that we may turn from sin and seek your mercy and forgiveness.

+Open our hands that we may reach out to our brothers and sisters in justice and peace.

Gospel Reading from the Liturgy for Ash Wednesday

Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18

Prayers of Lent

Meditations based on a prayerful reading of selected Scriptures of the Lenten season.

Sunday Reflections

Reflections on the liturgical readings for the Sundays of Lent by Monsignor Paul Whitmore, a retired Catholic priest of the diocese of Ogdensburg, New York.

Almsgiving

Throughout much of the world, living on less is not a seasonal lenten practice but a daily fact of life. Penitential fasting means nothing unless it raises our awareness of the Lord's imperative to share bread with the hungry. More...

Poor in Spirit

Only when we empty our heart of every other desire can we be filled with the treasure of God's grace. More...

At the Cross

The dark hour of the cross was the most decisive moment in our history. More...

Pray the Stations of the Cross.