Navigator- First Sunday of Lent 2015

the
Catholic Navigator
Charting a Course to Christ
22 February 2015 • Cycle B: First Sunday of Lent
A
VOLUME 11 • Issue 13
Chasing Holiness
“
ccording to Scripture,
it is the heart that
prays. If our heart is
far from God, the words of prayer are
in vain.” (CCC 2562)
This ‘heart’ that is mentioned is the
most critical space of our being. It is deeper
than our psyche, wider than our minds, broader than our emotions,
and linked intimately and directly to God. It is our center and beyond
the complete understanding of anyone (at times, even ourselves!).
Ultimately, only God can know fully the depth and breadth of the
human heart: “It is the place of encounter, because as image of God
40
History:
Ancient &
Not So Ancient
Quadragesima, a Medieval Latin word meaning fortieth,
assigns prayer and fasting to a season of preparation. The
number ‘40’ saturates much of Sacred Scripture. Early Christians
were used to several such seasons. In the Western church they
preceded Christmas, Easter, and the Feast of St. John the Baptist.
In the East the number of preparation times ranged from four
to eight (can you imagine praying and fasting for possibly 160+
days a year?!).
Over time this word attached itself to the observance of Lent
in the West, and to The Great Lent in the East. Pre-Vatican II
Catholics knew Quadragesima as the liturgical season between
Ash Wednesday and the eve of Palm (Passion) Sunday. This was
followed by Passiontide which ended on Holy Saturday.
These terms are no longer used except in the Extraordinary
Form of the Liturgy. Thus, in the English translation of the
Novus Ordo (New Order of the Mass), the first Sunday in Lent
is called “the First Sunday of Lent,” whereas in the Extraordinary
Form it is called ‘Dominica I in Quadragesima’, ‘Sunday #1
in Quadragesima’. Whichever word you use, Ash Wednesday
marked the beginning!
we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.” (CCC 2563)
Because this is where we encounter God, this is holy ground. It
is here that, when we fail at prayer, “…the Spirit himself intercedes
for us with sighs too deep for words.” (Rom. 8:26) It is the challenge
of our prayer life to make a habit of being here, in the presence of
the Lord, because this is where we experience communion and,
thus, find blessing.
Lent affords us the opportunity to check in with this most
important of spaces, our heart. Is it divided or does it gaze
exclusively on God? Is it upright or does it pursue things other
than God? We could take these 40 days to live, one day at a time,
our unique and personal covenant with God.
Saints Preserve Us!
Said to have been a convert and disciple of St. John the
Evangelist, St. Polycarp rose in prominence in the early
Church to become Bishop of Smyrna and adamant defender
of the Faith against heresy. Even though his known writing is
confined to a single letter to the Philippians, he
is accorded the status of Apostolic Father,
along with his friend Ignatius of Antioch
and Pope Clement of Rome.
An Apostolic Father is one who
had actual contact with one or more
of the Twelve Apostles and passed on
their teachings directly to the next
generation of defenders of the Faith
in the Second Century Church.
Polycarp was martyred at an
advanced age in approximately
156 A.D. and is quoted as
telling the Roman pro-consul
urging him to renounce his
faith, “Eighty-six years I have
served him, and he never
did me any wrong. How can I
blaspheme my King who saved me?”
A
covenant is the binding of one person to another
(Latin; convenire - to come together). This goes far
beyond what a contract does when it outlines a fair
exchange of goods or services between two people. A covenant is
like a vow, involving permanency, the swearing of oaths, and an
appeal to God. A contract is like a promise, which is usually made
for a limited period of time, and relies on human witnesses.
Even though the story of Noah is considered ‘pre-history’
(not necessarily a literal account), it offers truths that add to the
understanding of God and our salvation history. God used water
to destroy (some would say ‘purify’) what had become corrupt.
Then he turned and bound himself to Noah, taking an oath (!)
that he would never again use water to destroy all the earth. The
rainbow was left as a sign of this covenant.
This is how God ‘fathers’ his people. He makes covenants and
vows so as to provide what his children need. These covenants
are gifts, unearned and unmerited. The covenant with Noah is
special in that it asks nothing of Noah in return, and its vow is
made to all people, not just the Israelites. This covenant with
Noah is unconditional and universal.
Today’s readings pair Noah’s story with the beginning of Jesus’
ministry. Jesus has just returned from 40 days in the desert, as
Noah has just endured 40 days and nights of rain (a number that
is associated with ‘renewal, preparation, new life, and water’).
Jesus offers the ‘Kingdom of God’ to all who repent and are
baptized of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the fulfillment of the covenant
with Noah, brings the baptism ‘from above’ that brings salvation
and waters that give life, not destroy it.
S
“
Corner
7
Scriptural
Secrets
Catechetical
cripture… expresses the heights of
sanctity that can be reached by those
who live according to the covenant of Noah,
waiting for Christ to ‘gather into one the
children of God who are scattered abroad.’”
(CCC 58)
In this quote from the catechism, we find
a call to holiness that is based on the covenant of Noah.
Noah “walked
with
God,”
much as Moses
did, and was
allowed to do
so because he
“was a righteous
man, blameless in his
generation.” (Gen.
6:9) When
the waters
receded, Noah
made an offering to God. This offering was
“pleasing to God,” not for the animals he sacrificed,
but “because his heart was upright and undivided…”
(CCC 2569)
Virtue and an exclusive attention paid to God is what
God found pleasing then, and still does today. Lent offers
a time where one can go into the desert and invite the
Holy Spirit to help us stand upright and keep our heart
open to God. In this practice, life itself becomes a prayer.
An upright and undivided heart will raise us to the
levels of sanctity described in Scripture, to the levels
required to ‘walk with God.’ As previously noted, this is
the Father’s desire for us: “He has shown you, O mortal,
what is good… To act justly and to love mercy and to
walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) This is what
God calls us to. This is what we are capable of.
Imprimatur: Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer,Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 15, 2014. The Imprimatur (“Permission to Publish”) is a declaration that the work is
considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions or statements expressed.
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