On Filling the Void During Lent

A friend who is a priest generously offered the following food for thought for Lent:

In his famous, "Rule of Monks," St. Benedict proscribes for his monks the acts of prayer, spiritual reading, and abstinence for their Lenten observance:

"In these days, therefore, let us add something beyond the wonted measure of our service, such as private prayers and abstinence from food and drink."

It is worth considering what we will "give up" for Lent and in what  other ways we will spiritually observe this holy season.  Since Benedict's Rule has remained the standard for about 1,500 years, maybe his wisdom should be our guide.  Forms of fasting and bodily sacrifice are among the most ancient forms of penance.  Also, in addition to making a sacrifice to God for past sins and negligence, we learn greater self-control so that we may do better in the future.

Spiritually, we are called to imitate Jesus's forty days in the desert, where He was alone in constant prayer to the Father.  Some extra daily time with God in prayer should certainly be a part of our Lenten observance, since one of the points of sacrificing something from our lives is to have grace fill the void.

Finally, you may want to consider some spiritual classic to use for meditations during Lent.  Ofttimes, as with New Year's resolutions, Lenten sacrifices don't last, because we have nothing to fill the void for the thing we have tried to give up.  A good spiritual book can be like a faithful companion to which you can turn when you are tempted to squander your time.

In the end, the Rule of St. Benedict guided his monks to enter into Lent with their bodies, souls, and minds.  If it has worked for fifteen centuries, there might be something to it!

Father Joseph

40 Days of Fast and Prayer

When the apostles were unable to expel a particularly powerful demon, Our Lord admonished them, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  (Matthew 17:21).


Today marks the beginning of our opportunity for 40 days of fast and prayer for our nation, ending on Election Day on November 2nd!  Please make whatever prayers and sacrifices you can to save our nation!  Remember, we are placed under the patronage of Our Lady as the Immaculate Conception, and her Son cannot refuse her requests.

Ember Wednesday

Remember, this Wednesday is the first Ember Wednesday of the Church year!  See my post here for all the details on the ancient feasts of "Ember Days".  You won't want to miss this special opportunity to join the universal Church (because that's what "catholic" means, you know -- universal!) in prayer and fasting during Lent.

Many hands make light work!  Let's carry each other and the cross of Christ -- together!

Jejunia Quattuor Temporum (Fasts of the Four Seasons - EMBER DAYS)

Throughout the year in the Western Church, Ember Days are four quarterly groups of three days within one week (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), set aside specifically for prayer and fasting.

The Ember Weeks are as follows:

• Between the 3^rd and 4^th Sundays of Advent
• Between the 1^st and 2^nd Sundays of Lent
• Between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday
• Week beginning the Sunday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14^th)

The term is a corruption of the German Quatember, derived from the Anglo-Saxon ymbren (a circuit or revolution, from ymb, around, and ryne, a course running), relating to the annual cycle of the year.  In Latin, it is rendered quattuor anni tempora (four seasons of the year) or jejunia quattuor temporum (fasts of the four seasons), in Irish Gaelic as Laethanta na gCeithre Thráth (days of the four times), and in Welsh as Wythnos y Cydgorian (Week of the Processions).

The most accepted origin is the early Church’s practice of assigning a holy purpose to Roman or Celtic pagan holidays, in this case calendar and harvest festivals.  The earliest known mention is in the writings of Philastrius, Bishop of Brescia (died c. 387), Pope St. Leo the Great (A.D. 440 – 461, who wanted to bring the grace and discipline of abstinence from meat to every season of the year), and Pope St. Gregory the Great (590-604, who is believed to have fixed the timing).  The current schedule was established by Pope Blessed Urban II at the Councils of Piacenza and Clermont, 1095, and can be remembered by this clever mnemonic device in Latin:

Dant Crux, Lucia, Cineres, Charismata Dia

Ut sit in angariâ quarta sequens feria

or in old English:

Fasting days and Emberings be

Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, and Lucie

[Lent, Pentecost, the Holy Cross, and St. Lucy]

The Ember Days began on the Wednesday immediately following those feast days.

The Church originally mandated fasting (only one full meal per day, plus two small meatless meals) on all Ember Days, and the faithful were encouraged (but not required) to receive the Sacrament of Penance.  On February 17, 1966, Pope Paul VI’s decree Paenitemini excluded the Ember Days as days of fast and abstinence, and their observance now is up to the discretion of the local bishops conference.  Pope St. Gelasius I (492-496) is credited with associating the Ordination of clergy to Ember Weeks.

Pray!  Fast!

Esther 4:16 (Esther fasted three days without food or water)

II Samuel 12:16-18 (David fasted seven days without food)

Isaiah 58 (what is a proper fast before God)

Matthew 17:21 (prayer and fasting are linked)

Acts 9:9 (Paul fasted three days)

II Corinthians 11:27 (Paul fasted often)