1st Sunday of Lent
March 9, 2014
Collect
Iona College, New Rochelle, N.Y.
“Grant, almighty God, through the yearly
observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches
hidden in Christ, and by worthy conduct pursue their effects” (Collect).
In the Collect of this 1st Sunday of
Lent, we lay out two purposes for the season:
that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ, and
that we may pursue the effects of those riches.
And we identify one means by which we pray God will guide us toward
those goals of the season: “the yearly
observances of holy Lent”; and one outcome for which we pray: “worthy conduct.”
We might note that the 3-fold practice of
faithful Christians is touched upon in this prayer: right doctrine, right worship, and right
living—right doctrine in our “understanding of Christ”; right worship in our
“observances of holy Lent”; and right living in our “worthy conduct.” These 3 aspects of Christian fidelity all fit
together to make up orthodox faith; not Orthodox with a capital O, as in Greek Orthodox or Russian
Orthodox, but small-o “orthodox”
meaning correct, proper, and leading to salvation.
What are we praying for, more
precisely? What do we desire in Lent
from almighty God? Note right away that
the key to the season’s beneficial outcome is in his hands. Our actions and
wishes don’t make the season successful or grace-filled—don’t make us holy; but
his actions in us do. We pray that he
may “grant” us “growth in understanding” and “effective pursuit” of “Christ’s
riches.” We pray that we may receive
what he wants to give us.
The Collect refers to “the riches hidden
in Christ, which alludes to what we also call “the mysteries.” What is hidden in Christ? Eternal life!
Our Lenten observances lead us toward Easter, our annual celebration of
Christ’s death and resurrection. His
resurrection is a hidden richness in that we don’t see or hear or otherwise
perceive Christ risen from the dead. We
don’t fully understand how we share in his death and resurrection. But we believe—it’s a matter of faith—that we
do share in his death and
resurrection thru the sacraments, thru “these sacred mysteries.” In the Eucharist we touch and taste and
consume the humanity and the divinity of Jesus Christ. In the other sacraments we encounter the Divine
and are touched by grace—by forgiveness, by the power to live virtuously in
imitation of Christ, by a filial connection to the Father, who invites us to
spend eternity in his home.
When we ask God to grant us a deeper understanding
of the riches hidden in Christ, we pray for a deeper faith in Christ, a deeper
relationship with Christ; a faith and a relationship that ultimately will bring
us to a full share in his risen life, making “the hidden riches of Christ”
effective in us, as they have been in the saints.
 |
| 1st temptation of Jesus, by James Tissot |
We pray that God will lead us to such
deeper knowledge of Christ, such a deeper relationship with him, “thru the
yearly observances of holy Lent.” Our
observance of Lent is a gift from God, a grace, that draws us into the mystery
of Christ. The Latin text means,
literally, “exercises of the Lenten sacrament” (or “Lenten mystery”). Our observances or exercises include fasting,
prayer, and almsgiving, which unite us more closely with Christ, who fasted and
prayed in the wilderness, as we hear in today’s gospel (Matt 4:1-11). Our fasting also includes the self-denial
that is our resistance to temptation, as Jesus resisted the devil; in other
words, our fasting from sin. Our prayer
might mean being more faithful to a few minutes of private time with God every
day, or more frequent attendance at Mass, or some daily reading of the Sacred
Scriptures. Our almsgiving—which might
mean alms of money, of goods, of time, of attention, of kindness and patience—unites
us with Christ, who “went about doing good, healing all who were in need” (Acts
10:38; Luke 9:11).
But our yearly observances of holy Lent,
our “exercises of the Lenten sacrament,” means, in the 1st place, our
participation in the liturgy of Lent.
Catechumens are going thru the last stages of their preparation for
Baptism, with various rituals and prayers.
We who are already baptized continue to listen to the Word of God; we
come to Sunday Mass, and, I hope, also the solemn liturgies of the Sacred
Triduum at Lent’s end, and, as I said a moment ago, perhaps also to some
weekday Masses. At some point during
this season, we all need to celebrate the sacrament of Penance, and we might
consider returning to the practice of our youth, going to confession every few
weeks instead of every few months.
 |
| Pope Francis at Sacred Heart Parish in Rome in January. (ANS) |
Which brings us to the last point of the
Collect, the 2d means that God uses to “pursue the effects” of Christ’s riches
in us: “worthy conduct.” The Latin word is conversatio, which doesn’t mean “conversation,” as
in talking nicely to and about other people (which is a good thing, of course,
even a noble thing); rather, it means “conversion,” as in a conversion of our
morals, of our behavior. Our
relationship with Christ initiated in the sacred mysteries is supposed to have
a concrete effect in our lives, to change us, to bring us more closely into
conformity with the Lord Jesus, to make us look more like images of God. Lent is a season of conversion to Christ—for
catechumens and also for us who have professed our Christianity for many
years. What part of our life have we not
yet given to Christ? What sinful
inclination do we still cling to? Part
of our dealing with such questions, part of our ongoing conversion to Jesus, is
our encountering him regularly in the sacrament of Reconciliation, not once or
twice or 4 times a year, but monthly or more.
Just last month, Pope Francis spoke of this in one of his general
audiences: “If a lot of time has passed,
don’t lose even one more day. [It wasn’t
even Lent yet last month!] Be
courageous. Go to confession. The priest will be good. Jesus will be there, and he’s even nicer than
the priest. Even just on a human level
in order to vent, it’s good to speak to a brother, confessing to the priest
these things that weigh so heavily on your heart. Don’t be afraid of confession.” Then, referring to the parable of the
Prodigal Son, the Pope said, “I tell you, every time we go to confession, God
embraces us and celebrates.”[1]
May the Lord help us truly to grow in our
understanding and our love for our Lord Jesus and to imitate him more closely
during this holy season. God bless you!
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