February 18, 2021 | Issue 40 Do We Want to Get Back to Normal, or Does Lent Call Us to Something to Deeper, Bishop Asks on Ash Wednesday By Jen Reed us when it comes to our The Catholic Witness A woman receives spiritual life, our life in “Do we need Lent this ashes, sprinkled Christ. Do we just want year?” on her head, at St. to get back to normal? That’s the question Patrick Cathedral on Or is God calling us, Bishop Ronald Gainer Ash Wednesday. through his grace and posed as he celebrated will, to something higher, noon Mass on Ash something deeper, Wednesday, Feb. 17, at something richer, St. Patrick Cathedral in something fuller in our Harrisburg. lives of faith?” Bishop “It may well be that Gainer posed to the you and I are less congregation. “Do we eager this year for Ash just want to get back to Wednesday and to begin normal spiritually, or is the season of Lent than Lent telling us that’s not we have been in past what we should want? years. After all, it seems “We should want like we’ve been living a richer, fuller, more Lent for 11 months now,” satisfying and active life he said in his homily. of grace in Christ, in and “Do we really need through our Catholic the ashes – a sign of Church,” he said. our mortality, a sign of the limitedness and The Sprinkling of vulnerability and fragility Ashes CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS Ash Wednesday of human life – when begins the penitential every day we hear the season of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter new count of those who have died from the in which we are asked to devote ourselves to coronavirus in our state, in our nation, in the seeking the Lord in prayer, in service by giving world?” alms, and in sacrifice through fasting. It is a time “Do we need Lent this year?” he asked. of repentance and renewal of our faith in Christ. It’s a stark yet admittedly honest question, but one that has a rapid and firm answer: Yes. More ASH WEDNESDAY “It is the real question that this Lent puts before page 3 February 18, 2021 • The Catholic WITNESS- 2 Roman Missal Correction Omitting the Word ‘One’ before ‘God, For Ever and Ever’ Takes Effect By Jen Reed Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship The Catholic Witness said Cardinal Sarah had observed that “there is Mass-goers on Ash Wednesday might have no mention of ‘one’ in the Latin, and ‘Deus’ in the detected a change in the wording during The Latin text refers to Christ.” Collect, the short prayer the priest says prior to “The Cardinal Prefect has pointed out the the First Reading. importance of If your discerning affirming this ear heard the priest Christological truth say “God, for ever amid the religious and ever,” instead of pluralism of today’s “One God, for ever world,” the note said. and ever,” it’s not The Latin rite because he made a bishops of the mistake. United States have A change in voted to amend the the wording of country’s version the conclusion of the General of Collects in the Instruction of the Roman Missal Roman Missal to took effect on Ash reflect the change. Wednesday, Feb. CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS The note went on 17. The change to read that the use omits the word “one” before “God.” of the word “one” in the Collects “risks suggesting The change comes after a letter sent in that Jesus became a god independent of the May 2020 to English-speaking Conferences of Blessed Trinity and is one god among many ... Bishops by Robert Cardinal Sarah, prefect of the what we pray needs to express what the Church Congregation for Divine Worship, addressing a believes, requiring that, in liturgical formulae, we concern about the English translation. The letter uphold the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity.” specifically addresses the concluding doxology The note also explains that there is no need of the Collects in the Missal, which also appear in to purchase a new Missal to reflect the change, other liturgical books. and that publishers have been informed of it, so Up until now, the Latin words “Deus, per omnia that new editions or reprints will reflect the new sæcula sæculorum” had been translated in translation. It said celebrants can “simply omit the English as “one God, for ever and ever”. word ‘one’ when offering the prayer.” A Feb. 4 note from the U.S. Conference of Publisher: 4800 Union Deposit Road The Most Rev. Ronald W. Gainer, Harrisburg, PA 17111-3710 DD, JCL, Bishop of Harrisburg Phone: 717-657-4804 Executive Director for Public Relations: Email: [email protected] Rachel Bryson, M.S. [email protected] Digital subscriptions provided complimentary to all parishioners registered to a parish in the Diocese of Managing Editor: Jennifer Reed The mission of The Catholic Witness is Harrisburg. The Catholic Witness (ISSN 0008-8447, [email protected] to be of personal and practical help as USPS 557 120) is published digitally weekly except we try to be loyal and true witnesses for Photojournalist: Chris Heisey Christmas/New Year by the Harrisburg Catholic Christ in our daily living, spiritual and [email protected] Publishing Association, 4800 Union Deposit Road, temporal, in private and in public. Harrisburg, PA 17111. February 18, 2021• The Catholic WITNESS- 3 pandemic. While Knights of Council #6353 are many might present at each Mass at St. consider it a new Joseph Church, opening doors form, the sprinkling for parishioners and visits, of ashes on the ensuring that everyone has top of the head is a face covering and assisting actually a biblical with seating and counting the custom that’s number of people in attendance, common place in among other acts of service. many parts of the Brown said he observed world, including nearly 220 parishioners in the in Rome and church and 25 listening to Mass throughout Europe. in their vehicles during the 7 Attending Ash p.m. Mass. Wednesday Mass at “In watching this change in St. Joseph Church receiving ashes, it was noted in York, Kelly Brown as being well received by told The Witness parishioners inside the church that receiving them and outside in their cars. on top of his head Based on my observations, the held the same distribution of Communion and Bishop Ronald Gainer sprinkles ashes significance as the receiving of ashes outside over the head of Deacon Thomas Lang receiving them on went extremely well,” he said. during Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Patrick his forehead in past Cathedral on Feb. 17 years. Prayer, Fasting and “It did not feel Almsgiving In his homily for the noon unusual or uncomfortable to ASH WEDNESDAY Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, me,” said Brown, the Grand continued from 1 Bishop Gainer called the faithful Knight of Council #6353. He On Ash Wednesday, Christians said he thought the change in receive ashes as a sign of the method of distribution “was More ASH WEDNESDAY repentance and mortality. This a very good idea” given the page 4 year, the distribution of ashes pandemic, took a different form, notably for and said Christians in the United States. that even In an effort limit contact between though they ministers and recipients, ashes weren’t as were sprinkled over the heads visible in of individuals, instead of marked the usual on the forehead in the form of a form of a cross. cross on the At the request of the forehead, Vatican’s Congregation for they could Diving Worship and Discipline still be of the Sacraments, parishes seen as an in the Diocese and throughout outward the United States took up this sign of method of distribution to limit repentance. A man receives ashes from Father Joshua Brommer, contact during the COVID-19 The pastor of the Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick. February 18, 2021 • The Catholic WITNESS- 4 ASH WEDNESDAY continued from 3 to take advantage of opportunities for prayer, fasting and almsgiving. “We should not want to just get back to normal in our spiritual lives,” he said. “We want it to be greater, richer, deeper, fuller. Those are the graces that Lent offers to us through those traditional works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.” “Very often, we know what needs to be changed. We might know how we need to change and what to do to change ourselves, but we say, ‘Someday,’” he remarked. “But Ash Wednesday has those words ringing in our ears: Now is the A man is seen in prayer prior to the start of Mass very acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation.” at St. Patrick Cathedral on Ash Wednesday. Find resources for your Lenten journey online at www.hbgdiocese.org/lent. A Walk to Jerusalem: Mary’s Way of the Cross with the Council of Catholic Women Spiritual and Physical Exercise Program Join the Harrisburg Diocesan Council of Catholic Women Sponsored by the Harrisburg in praying Mary’s Way of the Diocesan Council of Cross, each Wednesday during Catholic Women Lent at 7 p.m., beginning on Ash Wednesday. In these Stations, we will see and feel, through Mary’s Journey begins Ash Wednesday perspective, what Jesus The virtual Walk to Jerusalem permits experienced on the way to pilgrims to join at any time and to Calvary. individually choose their exercise, whether physical or spiritual. Send an e-mail to [email protected] for information on how to connect to this weekly Visit hdccw.webs.com to learn more prayer via Zoom or by phone.