Volume 7 Number 2 Diocese of Superior Spring 2010 By Kate Ristow In ancient times, on the day before Lent began, people cleared their larders of foods that were Our hard‐working editor at CATECHIST, Kass forbidden during Lent due to the very strict Dotterweich, takes great care to reply directly fasting regulations. Some of these foods to the countless questions we get annually included meat, fish, eggs, and other dairy from our readers about teaching and helping products. Today that meaning of carnival has students live the Catholic faith. Every year, been almost many of the questions we receive focus on completely lost. different aspects of Lent—everything from the history of the season to the practices and Inevitably, in the customs we observe. week before Ash Wednesday, television stations air Our parish has a Mardi Gras the film of the raucous weekend before Ash carnivals in New Wednesday. People eat, drink, Orleans. In fact, the carnival season begins and play games. What’s the on January 6, the purpose? Twelfth Night of Christmas and the date on which Catholics originally celebrated the Mardi Gras comes from the French words for Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. “fat” (gras) and “Tuesday” (Mardi). It is a pre‐ Lenten day of feasting, originally celebrated on Your parish celebrates Mardi Gras on the the day before Ash Wednesday. It was often weekend before Ash Wednesday for a practical associated with carnival, which is taken from a reason. Very few people would participate in a Latin word that means “removal of meat.” big community party on a work/school night. I heard the term “Shrove considered Lenten days because the regulations regarding fasting were lifted on Tuesday” in one of our Sundays. In those days, Holy catechetical meetings but was Thursday, Good Friday, and too embarrassed to ask what it is Holy Saturday were counted as Lent, and when. So I’ll ask you: What even though the is Shrove Tuesday? When is it? season officially ended at noon on Holy Do we celebrate it? Saturday. Some adults still remember waiting anxiously when they were kids for the noon Never be embarrassed! Shrove Tuesday is siren to blow on Saturday so they could eat another term that describes the day before Ash their first candy egg of Easter. Wednesday. The word shrove is derived from a Latin word that means “confession.” In ancient Why is Easter celebrated on a times, people prepared for Lent by going to different date every year and confession. Since the penitential nature of the Lenten season is a major focus of our how is the date of Ash preparation for Easter, this custom has not Wednesday determined? been observed for hundreds of years, yet the name persists. The dating of Easter was settled definitely at the Council of Nicea in 325 Lent is longer than 40 days. Why A.D. Prior to Nicea, some Church leaders believed do we say “the 40 days of Lent”? that Easter should be celebrated on the Pull up a calendar and let’s walk through this. actual anniversary of The 40 days of Lent are counted from the First Jesus’ Passover. Sunday of Lent to Holy Thursday. Ash According to calculations, that would be the Wednesday and Thursday, Friday, and fourteenth of Nisan, the seventh month of the Saturday of that same week are considered Jewish calendar. Since the Jewish calendar something of a prelude to when we begin rotates, Easter would have fallen on a different counting the days: a time to reflect on how we day of the week each year, although on the will spend the next 40 days preparing to same date. celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection. Many Church leaders felt strongly that Easter Lent ends at sunset on Holy Thursday and the must be observed on a Sunday, to celebration of the sacred Triduum begins with commemorate the day of Jesus’ Resurrection. the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The So the decision was made to celebrate Easter official Latin title of Lent is Quadragesima or on the first Sunday following the first full moon “Forty Days.” after the vernal equinox (the time of year when the number of daylight hours and night hours Before the liturgical reforms following the are approximately the same all over the earth) Second Vatican Council, Ash Wednesday was or the first day of spring. the first day of Lent. Sundays were not 2 Kids love to calculate all this! Have them work Easter season. in small groups and give each group a calendar When we teach about Easter Duty, it is or calendar pages that show the phases of the important for students to understand that it moon. Before you distribute the calendars, be assumes that all Catholics participate in the sure to “white out” any Mass every week even if they do not receive references to Ash Communion. We also need to emphasize that, Wednesday, Passion although only mortal sins must be confessed, Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter. participating in the Sacrament of Penance and Slowly explain the formula in Reconciliation helps us by continuing the the previous paragraph and process of conversion that began at our ask students to calculate Baptism. when Easter will occur. Finally, kids today can hardly imagine going to You’ll be a bit amazed at how quickly Mass without receiving the Eucharist. It may be they can do this. Have them calculate the date helpful to point out to them that there was a for Ash Wednesday by counting back six weeks time in our Church when almost no one from the Sunday before Easter (Palm Sunday received Holy Communion. The reason? People of the Lord’s Passion). Ash Wednesday is in the didn’t feel worthy enough or it was drummed middle of that week. (For a more detailed into them that confession was required before explanation of this activity and calendar pages receiving the Eucharist. for February, March, and April of this year, see the website reference at the end of this article.) Remind students that the Eucharist helps us become better followers of Christ if we are open to Jesus’ presence and grace within us. I used to hear about the Easter Obligation. What is that? And One last point: While First Reconciliation is normally received before First Eucharist, we didn’t we used to call it are not required to participate in Reconciliation something else? prior to every reception of the Eucharist. Yes, we called this obligation, based on the What is the difference between Precepts of the Church, “Easter Duty.” It requires all Catholics to receive the Body and a “candidate” and a Blood of Christ at some time during the Easter “catechumen” in RCIA? season, which in the United States extends from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Good question! A candidate is someone who Sunday” (United States Catholic Catechism for has been previously baptized in another Adults, page 334). Christian faith. At the Easter Vigil, candidates will not be baptized since Baptism marks us The three Precepts of the Church that are the with an indelible character. In other underpinnings of our Easter Duty are: words, we may be baptized only * Participate in Mass on Sundays and holy days once. Instead, candidates make a of obligation and rest from unnecessary work. profession of faith, are * Confess sins at least once a year. confirmed, and receive the * Receive Holy Communion at least during the Eucharist. 3 What are the Scrutinies? Catechumens are those individuals who have never been officially initiated into a church The Scrutinies are rites of purification and community prior to their entrance into the strengthening celebrated with RCIA Catholic Church. At the Easter Vigil, catechumens in preparation for their Baptism. catechumens celebrate all three Sacraments of They are celebrated only with the Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and unbaptized—with Eucharist. Another way we state this is to say catechumens, not that catechumens are seeking full communion candidates, although there is with the Church. a rite that may be celebrated with the candidates at What is Laetare Sunday? another time. The Scrutinies are celebrated on the Third, Laetare Sunday is celebrated on the Fourth Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Sunday of Lent. The origin of the name comes Lent. from the first words of the Latin Entrance Antiphon at Mass: Laetare, Ierusalem which What are the fasting and mean “Rejoice, O Jerusalem.” Traditionally, Laetare Sunday is a day of rejoicing within this abstinence obligations during solemn penitential season. Lent? Might they vary from diocese to diocese? It’s hard to miss the visual sign of the celebration: The priest wears rose‐colored The Church regulations for fasting and vestments (although Lenten purple is still abstinence during Lent are found below. They permitted). apply to all Catholics within the United States. While it certainly is possible that an individual The reason for this joyful observance was bishop may grant a blanket dispensation for explained in a homily by Pope Innocent III in some extraordinary reason, it is very unlikely. 1216: “On this Sunday, which marks the middle Lent is a six‐week timeout from life as usual. of Lent, a measure of consoling relaxation is provided, so that the faithful may not break It’s about sacrifice. The Lenten regulations are: down under the severe strain of Lenten fast but * Abstinence during Lent: Catholics 14 years may continue to bear the restrictions with a of age or older are to abstain from meat on Ash refreshed and easier heart.” Wednesday and on all the Fridays of Lent.