The liturgical season of Lent
After this 6th Sunday of the Year (C), we enter the liturgical
season of Lent - a season of prayer, repentance and conversion,
fasting and abstinence, and focusing on God's great love and
mercy for humanity. This season begins every Ash Wednesday -
a movable feast in the Church that occurs on February 17 this
year. In preparation for this holiest of liturgical seasons, we
can take time for more prayer and reflection, and meditate on the
liturgical readings for Ash Wednesday: Joel 2:12-18, Psalm 51,
2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18.
Liturgical readings in the NRSV
If you wish to be more familiar with God's Word during this
Lenten season, a good version of the Bible to have is the NRSV
(New Revised Standard Version) Catholic edition. This translation
and edition of the bible uses inclusive language - with the use
of "brothers and sisters" in the letters of St. Paul instead of
the traditional "brothers". The NRSV also has tables of Sunday
and Weekday Readings from the Lectionary, plus a table of movable
dates (Ash Wednesday, Easter, Ascension Sunday, Pentecost, First
Sunday of Advent) up to the year 2030 A.D. It is a very good
investment for personal and spiritual growth.
Guide for making a good confession
The Handbook of Prayers by Charles Belmonte and James Socias has
a good guide on "How to Make a Good Confession". It is based on
how we have disobeyed any of the ten commandments in all its
specific and detailed nuances of meaning for our Christian state
of life and vocation. Also, the prayer book gives additional
counsels on how to be truly sorry for our sins, how our sorrow
may be true and genuine, and how we can make firm resolutions to
avoid future occasions of sin. This comprehensive and detailed
guide gives instructions how to proceed during the confession
itself and to fulfill the penance given by the priest.
Lent to Easter Sunday 2010 schedule
- Ash Wednesday: February 17
- 1st Sunday of Lent: February 21
- 2nd Sunday of Lent: February 28
- 3rd Sunday of Lent: March 7
- 4th Sunday of Lent: March 14
- 5th Sunday of Lent: March 21
- Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion: March 28
- Holy Thursday: April 1
- Good Friday: April 2
- Holy Saturday: April 3
- Easter Sunday: April 4
