A Lenten Feast?

Catholic Exchange ^ | March 15, 2004 | Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

[Desdemona]

A Lenten Feast?

03/15/04

Some think Lent is a time for fasting. I see it as a time of feasting. I come to this conclusion based on the story of the fig tree in Luke 13. Three years without bearing fruit. What could be the problem? The owner figures that it is simply a dud and wants to cut it down.

The vinedresser, a little more in touch with nature, comes to a different conclusion. Maybe all that is needed to turn things around is a bit of fertilizer.

As we look at Christians in America, we have to be honest. A full 82% of us say we are Christians. So where’s the fruit? We’re certainly feeding ourselves often enough, with about 67% per cent of us overweight. Obviously what we’re consuming is not quite the right nourishment to produce the desired results.

So Lent is a time to examine our diet and make some changes. First, let’s cut the junk food from the diet so we are not so bloated. It could be the chips, fries, burgers, and cokes that drain our pocketbooks and make us lethargic. Or it could be too many hours of radio, TV, and the web which fill our heads with so much noise that we can’t sit still, quiet down and listen to God. Let’s turn it all off for a while.

Yes, this is fasting. But the goal is to save our appetite so that we can feast on other things such as the Word of God. When’s the last time you sat down and read an entire book of the Bible, from start to finish? (if not all in one sitting, over the course of a few days). Exodus makes for a good Lenten read, since I Corinthians 10 tells us that Israel’s odyssey was for our sake, to provide an example. When was the last time you identified a short, poignant Bible text and memorized it, repeating it daily, even several times a day, meditating on it, applying it to various aspects of your life?

How about the Eucharist, the greatest nourishment of all? Lent is a great time to go more often, even daily. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass is like stimulating the appetite before the meal (aperitif) or taking time to digest it afterwards (digestif). Either way, adoration helps us derive more benefit from our Eucharistic feast.

Then there is the time we devote to entertainment. Could we not redirect some of those hours to entertainment that nourishes our spiritual life? Mel Gibson’s film on the Lord’s passion was released on Ash Wednesday for a reason. It is offered as a Lenten meditation to help us understand the shocking consequences of sin and the astounding Love that lays down His life for His friends. Go to this movie and take someone. If you fear the violence of The Passion of The Christ would be too much for you, rent Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, and watch it with family and friends. If you prefer books, read the life of a saint or the powerful religious fiction of an author such as C.S. Lewis.

Finally, one of the most spiritually nourishing and energizing experiences of all is giving of ourselves. We call it almsgiving. It is in giving that we receive, says the Prayer of St. Francis. If we save money from fasting, let’s give it away. There are the corporal works of mercy such as feeding the hungry. Then there are the spiritual works of mercy, such as feeding the spiritually hungry, the millions of inactive and nominal Christians and unchurched people that starve to death for lack of the Word of God. Soup kitchens and evangelization ministries both need our support.

Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. Three inter-related fertilizers to help the barren fig tree bear fruit. But keep in mind the owner's directive — fertilize it for a year, and if we see no results, fetch the axe. So no more excuses. No more procrastinating. Let’s vow to make this Lent count. There may not be another.

[Uri’el-2012]

Is Lent Christian ?

Is it scriptural ?

chuck

[IMRight]

Is Lent Christian ?

Absolutely. (And I passed three Baptist churches this past Sunday that were observing it).

Is it scriptural?

Scriptural? To the extent Easter is. It remembers a Scriptural event but is not commanded in Scripture.

[Uri’el-2012]

XS>Is Lent Christian ?

IMR>Absolutely. (And I passed three Baptist churches this past Sunday that were observing it).

XS>Is it scriptural?

IMR>Scriptural? To the extent Easter is. It remembers a Scriptural event but is not commanded in Scripture.

3 posted on 03/15/2004 10:56:08 AM MST by IMRight

Is Easter scriptural ?

Or was it created in 325 AD by Constantine at the council he called in Nicea?

Should it not be Passover we celebrate ?

Now that is scriptural and it is when Y'shua chose to sacrifice the Lamb for us.

and rise again on the feast of First Fruits as an offering to haShem.

chuck

[Salvation]

Yes, I will post a couple of articles and links.

[Salvation]

Here are some other links about Lent:

The Holy Season of Lent Daily Reflections and Prayers

The Holy Season of Lent -- Fast and Abstinence

The Holy Season of Lent -- The Stations of the Cross

[Suffering] His Pain Like Mine Lent and Fasting

Ash Wednesday

All About Lent

Kids and Holiness: Making Lent Meaningful to Children

Mardi Gras' Catholic Roots [Shrove Tuesday]

You Are the Potter, We Are the Clay - Lent 2004, East and West

[IMRight]

Should it not be Passover we celebrate?

Sure. Celebrate the blood of a lamb spilled and ignore the Blood of the Lamb that was shed?

If you wish. I prefer both.

Do you celebrate the Passover as Scripture instructs?

[Salvation]

Fasting and Feasting
Help Us Prepare for Easter

Make more room for God this Lent by choosing not to do some things (fasting) and by choosing to do other things (feasting).

Fasting
Fasting is an integral part of Lent. Traditionally it has included reducing the amount of food we eat and abstaining from meat. We fast to allow our physical hunger to remind us of our spiritual hunger, our need for God. The purpose of fasting is to turn our attention to both God and others.

Things to fast from…
¨ watching television
¨ cussing or using foul language
¨ buying new things: clothes, music, magazines, jewelry
¨ snack or junk foods
¨ spending money on entertainment
¨ being angry at other people
¨ holding resentments
¨ gossiping
¨ being dishonest

Feasting
The dictionary defines a feast as “something that gives unusual or abundant pleasure.” Jesus tells us what gives us the most real and lasting joy: it is sharing ourselves in love for others, for our friends, our family, and also for our neighbors in need. During Lent, we pay attention to feasting on joy, compassion, service, and hope so that we might grow in faith all year long.

Things to feast on…
¨ prayer
¨ acts of kindness to others
¨ forgiveness
¨ participating at Church
¨ participating in liturgy and Eucharist
¨ giving our time in service
¨ participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation
¨ acts of service and charity
¨ giving money to people who are hungry or in need
¨ giving personal possessions to people in need

[Salvation]

More Lenten Ideas:

* Choose one night of the week to “fast” from watching TV—spend that time saying a special prayer, helping a family member or reading a verse from the Bible.

* Choose a snack food that you usually purchase that you could give-up during Lent—set aside the money you would have spent to donate to a special charity.

* Think about a habit you have that you would like to change, like using curse words, yelling at others or putting people down—choose to try to avoid that habit and do something positive instead.

* Think about people you are angry with, who have hurt or offended you. “Fast” from your anger and resentment by making a list of these people and trying to pray for one person each day, thinking about one thing that is good about them.

* “Fast” from feeling guilty and angry at yourself for things you have done wrong—instead “feast” on God’s love by participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

[Salvation]

Fasting and Feasting
Prayer


Side 1: Fast from judging others...
Side 2: Feast on finding Christ in them.

Side 1: Fast from harsh or mean words...
Side 2: Feast on words that encourage and support others.

Side 1: Fast from anger...
Side 2: Feast on patience.

Side 1: Fast from worry...
Side 2: Feast on God’s love and care.

Side 1: Fast from complaining...
Side 2: Feast on appreciation.

Side 1: Fast from bitterness, resentment or jealousy
Side 2: Feast on forgiveness and acceptance.

Side 1: Fast from self-centeredness...
Side 2: Feast on compassion for others.

Side 1: Fast from discouragement...
Side 2: Feast on hope.

[Salvation]

Family Lenten Resolutions

Give concrete expression to Lenten resolutions by making a “Lenten Chain.” Pass out strips of white paper, approximately one by six inches in size, two to each person. Discuss what the family can do as a family to renew itself (see ideas below). Decide on five items for the first week and staple them into a Lenten chain. Each family member decides on a personal pledge of renewal and adds that to the chain, which is then draped around the centerpiece. Repeat this ritual each week, adding links to the chain so that by Good Friday the chain has grown to 40+ links. (Instead of the chain, some families make a large cross and tape pledges to it. Others fashion a Lenten calendar).

Here is a sampling of the kind of pledges for family and personal renewal that might appear on a Lenten chain:

* Examine and adjust eating patterns, e.g., giving up a certain food or drink one day a week, fasting.

* Dedicate time to service involvement during Lent, e.g., working at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter, helping people in your neighborhood such as the elderly.

* Increase sacramental involvement, e.g., go to Mass as a family once during the week, participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation through individual confession or a parish Reconciliation Service.

* Participate as a family in the Stations of the Cross in the parish.

* Find time to read the Bible together as a family for fifteen minutes daily; read one spiritual book privately during Lent; meditate fifteen minutes a day.

* Set aside one evening each week just for family togetherness with no TV, only family activities.

[Salvation]

Lent: Where Did It Come From?

Do you know that Lent literally means “lengthening of days,” or the “coming of spring time”? Do you know that Lent is the only season of the Church that starts on a weekday? Do you know how Lent has come to be what it is today? Here is the story at a glance…

1. The early Jewish Christians superimposed their worship of Jesus, the new Passover, on the annual celebration and understanding of Jewish Passover. This was preceded by a day of fasting.

2. The early Gentile Christian’s custom of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays and celebration of the breaking of bread after Sabbath merged with the new Passover celebration and the annual Easter feast was now celebrated on the Sunday closest to the Jewish Passover.

3. The Saturday before Easter Sunday became designated as a fast day and since the Friday fast was already in place, there emerged a two-day pre-Easter fast that later was extended to begin the Sunday before Easter (weeklong fast).

4. A process of initiation to become a Christian emerged in the third century that extended over a period of time and included several stages marked by a ritual celebration with baptisms most often celebrated during the 50 days between Passover and Pentecost.

5. The Council of Nicea set forth a forty day preparatory fast and a determined fixed date for the celebration of Easter.

6. A three week preparatory fast for baptism emerged in the 5th century.

7. Lent emerged as a six week period beginning on the first Sunday of Lent in the 4th century.

8. Since Sundays were not fast days in the sixth century, four more days were added into the six weeks to get the 40 days of Lent (modeled on Jesus’ 40 days in the desert) by beginning Lent on the Wednesday before the first Sunday of Lent.

9. Three scrutinies for those preparing for baptism emerged in the 8th century and are celebrated on three consecutive Sundays (3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent).

10. The Second Vatican council restored a simpler earlier version of Lenten observance that eliminated the three penitential Sundays that had emerged in the 5th and 6th centuries. Lent now was to begin with Ash Wednesday and continue with the five Sundays of Lent, concluding with the Mass of Holy Thursday. (Adapted from the Word and Worship Workbook for Year C. Mary Birmingham. New York: Paulist Press, 1998, pp.113-114.]

[Uri’el-2012]

1. The early Jewish Christians superimposed their worship of Jesus, the new Passover, on the annual celebration and understanding of Jewish Passover. This was preceded by a day of fasting.

.........

12 posted on 03/15/2004 11:29:59 AM MST by Salvation

A Profession Of Faith From The Church Of Constantinople in the year 325 C.E.(A.D.) Under The Emperor Constantine

I renounce all customs, rites, legalisms. unleavened breads & sacrifices of lambs of the Hebrews ,and all other feasts of the Hebrews, sacrifices, prayers, aspersions, purifications, sanctifications and propitiations and fasts, and new moons, and Sabbaths, and superstitions, and hymns and chants and observances and Synagogues, and the food and drink of the Hebrews; in one word, I renounce everything Jewish, every law, rite and custom and if afterwards I shall wish to deny and return to Jewish superstition, or shall be found eating with The Jews, or feasting with them, or secretly conversing and condemning the Christian religion instead of openly confuting them and condemning their vain faith, then let the trembling of Gehazi cleave to me, as well as the legal punishments to which I acknowledge myself liable. And may I be anathema in the world to come, and may my soul be set down with Satan and the devils.

Source: Parks, James The Conflict Of The Church And The Synagogue Atheneum, New York, 1974, pp. 397 - 398.

My L-rd, Y'shua is a Jewish Rabbi.

a bondslave to the Christ

chuck

[Uri’el-2012]

XS>Should it not be Passover we celebrate?

IMR>Sure. Celebrate the blood of a lamb spilled and ignore the Blood of the Lamb that was shed?

If you wish. I prefer both.

Do you celebrate the Passover as Scripture instructs?

7 posted on 03/15/2004 11:19:22 AM MST by IMRight

You miss the whole metaphor of the Ru'akh haKodesh.

Y'shua is our Lamb of G-d !

He was sacrificed as the Lamb of G-d on Passover ;

died on Hag Matzo ( when all sin was removed) and

rose on First Fruits as the offering to haShem.

The Ru'akh haKodesh came to the Jewish Apostles on Shavuot
( fifty days after the day following the Shabbat following Pesech) .

To callout( ekklesia= church) the holy ones , the saints and priests. ( see 1 Peter 2:9)

a bondslave to the Christ

chuck

[IMRight]

You miss the whole metaphor of the Ru'akh haKodesh.
Y'shua is our Lamb of G-d !

Is there a polite hebrew way to say "Duh!"? :-)

So your celebration of the Passover is different than what was instituted by God? I'm not disagreeing with the logical necessity... just wondering about the Scriptural support?

Or did the Holy Spirit just tell you?

[dangus]

>>Or was it created in 325 AD by Constantine at the council he called in Nicea?<<

The council of Nicea did not create any new practices or doctrines. What it did was demand adherence of groups claiming to be Christian to the doctrines that had been established by the apostles, which it formulated in the Nicene Creed. Although there is some dispute about what certain wordings of the creed meant, most Protestant churches uphold all tenets of the Creed. It had nothing *directly* to do with the papacy, and the various heresies which triggered it are certainly rejected by all Protestants. How it emerged as a bogey-man to certain Protestant lines of thought is a result of a long and bizarre post-reformation chain of events.

The observation of Lent, however, is not biblical, but rather a pious act instituted by the early Church after the age of the apostles. Fasting is biblical, and Lent is simply an opportunity to relate fasting to biblical events in the life of Christ (Good Friday, Easter, the forty days in the wilderness). I personally find the observation of Lent a help in focusing my attention on the joy of Easter.

[dangus]

Well, Constantine was *not* the Pope, nor was Constantinople the chair of St. Peter, so I'm not sure what this has to do with anything.

[Uri’el-2012]

XS>You miss the whole metaphor of the Ru'akh haKodesh.
XS>Y'shua is our Lamb of G-d !

IMR>Is there a polite hebrew way to say "Duh!"? :-)

IMR>So your celebration of the Passover is different than what was instituted by God? I'm not disagreeing with the logical necessity... just wondering IMR>about the Scriptural support?

IMR>Or did the Holy Spirit just tell you?

15 posted on 03/15/2004 11:58:54 AM MST by IMRight

In order to understand this one must start with Y'shua as a Jewish Rabbi

as it is described in the scriptures.

The Christ was not a Christian and He was not a Catholic.

NAsbU Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

NAsbU Romans 2:10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God. 12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

One also must see the same Ru'akh haKodesh as the inspiration of all scriptures.

The old feasts of Moses were used by Y'shua for a second time when He came in the flesh, same metaphor: however completed.

a bondslave to the Christ

chuck

[IMRight]

Ok. When you get around to answering the question please let me know?

I understand that the OT feasts are to a great extent fulfilled. But does Scripture say to change the manner of celebrating the Passover? Or is it an assumption on the part of some man?

The same argument can be made for Easter. The passion changes everything.

[JohnnyM]

I'm confused. Do you observe the dietary laws and the feasts as described in the OT in Leviticus?

JM