An image of Jesus’
head with a crown of thorns rests near the entrance of Prince of Peace Church
in Green Bay, Wis. (OSV News photo/CNS file, Sam Lucero, The Compass)
The Rhythms of Lent
Embracing the patterns and variations of the season
When is something the same but different? This contradiction
is not as rare as it might seem. Take the example of Lent.
Lent is the annual liturgical season that provides a 40-day
period of repentance and conversion leading to the paschal feast of Easter.
Every Lent is basically the same; it does not change. Yet in the design of the
Lectionary, the Scripture readings for Lenten Sundays are somewhat
different each successive year because the three liturgical years are divided
among the synoptic Gospels. In Year A, we read Matthew, in Year B, Mark, and in
Year C — this year — we read Luke. While the weekday readings remain the same,
the Sunday readings differ because of these diverse liturgical years. Let’s
examine this phenomenon more closely.
A Distinct Design
It’s clear that Lent is basically the same every year in its
overall design. It begins with Ash Wednesday and proceeds all the way to its
climax in the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, concluding with the
dramatic Easter Vigil. And we can discern a basic flow and rhythm in the
season’s readings.
The Old Testament readings generally recount the long
history of salvation. They show the incredible patience of God in dealing with
a stubborn, headstrong people who do not always heed the covenants God offers
them. These readings prepare for the climactic act of salvation history in the
gift of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The second readings on Sunday
generally explain the significance of baptism and how we are to live out these
promises. The Gospels throughout the season either speak of God’s boundless
mercy in dealing with sinners or focus on Jesus’ relationship with his heavenly
Father and his acceptance of his destiny on the cross. All the readings put
together are designed to prepare us for the paschal feast of Easter.
The first part of Lent focuses primarily on our need for
repentance and conversion, and our desire for forgiveness. It also calls us to
sacrificial acts, such as the traditional triad of prayer, fasting and
almsgiving. The first three weeks lay out a challenge to us to reform our lives
with pious practices and attitudes that conform to God’s will. It also reviews
much of the history of salvation with readings that illustrate Israel’s
failure to live according to God’s will.
In the fourth week, however, a shift begins. We witness more
and more a focus on the person of Jesus. In the fourth and fifth weeks, we see
an emphasis on his special relationship to his heavenly Father, especially
expressed in readings from the Gospel of John. At the same time, there is a
buildup of opposition to Jesus as his enemies seek to entrap and even kill him.
“The Prodigal
Confessor” by Carl Johann Nepomuk Hemerlein, 1807-1884. (Renáta Sedmáková/Adobe
Stock)
Then Holy Week begins with the joyous welcome of Jesus into
Jerusalem on Palm
Sunday. We should notice, however, that this event is but a prelude to the
Passion, which is the real focus of the week. Four days of Holy Week (Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday and Good Friday) employ the four Songs of the Suffering
Servant from Isaiah, and a version of the Passion narrative from the Synoptics
is proclaimed on Palm Sunday. John’s Passion narrative is reserved for Good
Friday. The great Philippians hymn about Christ (cf. 2:6-11) is also used twice
in Holy Week, once on Palm Sunday and once on Good Friday. This keeps the focus
on Jesus in his suffering, death and vindication in exaltation. The Easter
Vigil itself, of course, provides the dramatic climax of the season. With its
nine readings, it expresses the sweep of salvation history, and it proclaims
some of the great themes associated with the new life achieved in baptism:
water, light overcoming darkness, resurrection defeating death.
This scenario, then, is the general layout of Lent. Yet the
use of alternate synoptic Gospels each year provides some differences. Let’s
take this year’s example from Luke.
Lent in the Year of Luke
The most evident way in which this year’s Lent is different
is the use of Luke’s version of the temptation of Jesus (cf. 4:1-13)
on the first Sunday, the Transfiguration (9:28b-36)
on the Second Sunday, and the Lukan Passion narrative (22:14—23:56)
on Palm Sunday. In addition, the Third Sunday Gospel is a unique passage from
Luke about repentance (13:1-9), and the Fourth Sunday Gospel is the beloved
story of the prodigal son (15:1-3,
11-32), also unique to Luke. Although this parable appears earlier in Lent
every year (on Saturday of the second week), its use this year on the Fourth
Sunday — Laetare Sunday — lends special attention to how it fits into Lent.
True reconciliation leads to joy, not simply to feeling bad that we have
sinned. The Father’s mercy is showcased throughout the season of repentance.
Paying attention to the special themes of each Gospel can
also be instructive. Luke’s themes, for instance, include prayer, joy, mercy,
reconciliation and care for the poor. Noticing how these pop up throughout Lent
in the daily readings can help preachers make connections for their
parishioners. Even little details in the temptation and Transfiguration
narratives can be helpful. Like Matthew, Luke recounts in detail Jesus
being tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. The order of the three
temptations is different, however, and the tempter is called “the devil.” Luke
describes Jesus as “filled with the Holy Spirit” (cf. 4:1), a refrain that
echoes throughout Luke and Acts to describe those who are righteous in God’s
eyes. When Jesus defeats the devil, only Luke says that the devil had finished
“every temptation” and then left Jesus until “for a time,” kairos in
Greek (4:13). For Luke, that time arrives in the Passion narrative. The devil
(now called Satan) induces Judas to betray Jesus (22:3) and
returns to tempt the other disciples (22:31).
The Transfiguration.
(Adobe Stock)
How do you discern such nuances? The best way, of course, is
to use a book of Gospel parallels and read carefully. Consulting recent
commentaries on the Gospels can also provide clues. The danger to avoid is
simply amalgamating the Gospels of Lent into one coherent story of Jesus, which
is not how the Gospels came into being. Yes, the sameness of Lent means repeating
year after year common themes like repentance, forgiveness and following God’s
law more carefully. But within that framework lies individual richness that an
attentive preacher can mine productively.
Other Considerations
In any given year, Lent can also be affected by other
contexts that arise in special circumstances. These signal differences that we
should not ignore. Four aspects stand out this year.
The Jubilee Year of Hope
This year’s Lent falls during the Holy Year of Hope proclaimed by Pope Francis,
the first such regular holy year since the Great Jubilee of 2000, when the
Church celebrated the beginning of the third Christian millennium. In a letter to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of
the New Evangelization in 2022, the pope announced the motto of the year would
be “Pilgrims of Hope.” In addition to emphasizing this holy year as a
“pilgrimage” — which overlaps with Lent as a pilgrimage — the pope earnestly
called for all believers to engage in intense prayer. In calling for prayer
throughout the year, he noted that it is “the royal road to holiness, which
enables us to be contemplative even in the midst of activity.”
Care for Creation
This particular holy year also has a unique orientation that touches a theme
dear to Pope Francis’ heart — care for all of creation. In the same letter,
Francis wrote: “In the realization that all of us are pilgrims on this earth, which the Lord has charged us to
till and keep (cf. Gn 2:15), may we never fail, in the course of our sojourn,
to contemplate the beauty of creation and care for our common home.”
This is a topic he addressed at length in two important
teachings. The first was his encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015), which called on all
humanity to prioritize the need to save planet Earth, our “common home,” which
is threatened by severe collapse as never before. Francis echoed this plea with
an even more urgent apostolic exhortation issued in October 2023, Laudate Deum. It urges the world to attend to the
undeniable climate crisis and its effects. He also invited the faithful to
reflect on care for all of creation throughout the year. It is evident, then,
that one focus of Lent this year should be care for creation.
Vatican II Anniversary
The Church this year marks two ecclesial anniversaries that might be pertinent
to bring to a Lenten perspective. Dec. 8 will be the 60th anniversary of the
close of the Second Vatican Council in 1965. Given the historic importance of
the council, and its impact on the liturgical reform that the Church currently
celebrates, drawing attention to this famous event warrants consideration. This
could include noting that Nov. 18 will mark the 60th anniversary of Dei Verbum, the council’s Dogmatic Constitution on
Divine Revelation. This conciliar teaching has had enormous influence on the
shape of the Church’s understanding of sacred Scripture and the very nature of
God’s self-revelation. Once more, it might warrant some sort of mention, since
celebrating Lent properly involves reflecting on God’s word and how our lives
are transformed by it.
The First Ecumenical Council
Another anniversary is rather unusual, but Pope Francis draws attention to it
in his bull of indiction for the Holy Year of Hope (see sidebar). I refer to
the 1,700th anniversary of the Council
of Nicaea in A.D. 325. This might seem a bit arcane, but it was an
incredibly important church council. It helped shape the solemn creed that we
still pronounce on Sundays and important feasts, and which is common to other
denominations as well. In addition, this first ecumenical council discussed the
date of Easter, but the ruling it issued failed to resolve the matter once and
for all. This is still evident today and helps explain why Orthodox Christians
celebrate Easter on a different day than Roman Catholics. Furthermore, Nicaea’s
Christological teaching about the closeness between God the Father and his Son,
Jesus, as well as their relationship with the Holy Spirit, appears with some
frequency throughout the season of Lent. Perhaps this year provides a unique
opportunity to preach on the importance of the Nicene Creed and what it means
today, as well as in history. It can also be tied into the celebration of the
catechumens and their entrance into the Faith at Easter.
Obviously, a certain danger exists in trying to do too much
during one liturgical season. Yet Lent is never a generic pilgrimage. It
happens in new contexts and circumstances that demand at least some attention
from preachers if they want to respond to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Prudence should
predominate. Not everything needs to be referenced, and certainly not in
the same homily. But since Lent extends for 40 days, there likely will be
opportunities to draw attention to some circumstances when they arise.
A Lenten Strategy
To conclude, I propose five steps that can be considered a
preaching strategy for Lent this year. Some presbyters might find these
suggestions simply a rehash of their seminary preaching course. In my
experience, however, sometimes going back to basics can be helpful.
Pope Francis places
ashes on the head of Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic
Penitentiary, during Ash Wednesday Mass at the Basilica of Santa
Sabina in Rome Feb. 14, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Get the big picture. Reflect on the entire
season of Lent in advance so that you can determine how it is structured, where
it is headed and how this year’s Lent may be different. Seeing the season more
holistically also means considering how other ecclesial realities, including
the situation of your parish, fit in.
Make connections. By this I mean two things.
First, look for the internal connections of the readings, such as between
the Old Testament and the New Testament. Lent brings such
connections to the fore — for example, in some of the images of prophets or
sages, or servants who suffered and are seen as models or prefigurements of
Jesus in his passion. Second, make connections with our contemporary world.
What themes, lessons or ideas ring true today and might be of help in inspiring
your congregation?
Pray the Scriptures. While it is essential to
read the Scriptures in advance and reflect on them, it is equally vital to pray
them. This goes beyond reading for comprehension; it means making the
Scriptures part of your own Lenten spiritual pilgrimage as a presbyter. However
you do this — there are many different forms of lectio divina —
this step will deepen your spiritual life and may just open up new avenues to
pursue in your homilies.
Plan ahead. Some priests I know have developed a
method of planning for an entire liturgical season, sometimes with the
assistance of others, such as parish staff members or interested volunteer
parishioners. Involving others in this process, in fact, might be seen as
an exercise in synodality, a topic obviously important in the
Church today. However you approach it, planning the liturgies ahead can enhance
their coherence and effectiveness.
Maintain your balance. I mean two things here.
One is to maintain that delicate balance between what every Lent teaches and
what this particular Lent might mean. Both are essential. Second, don’t try to
reinvent the wheel. The goal is not to create novel liturgies that will wow our
parishioners. The real goal is to help the entire community enter fully into
Lent and celebrate it well, in tune with what the Church sets forth in the
rubrics. Doing so will nourish and strengthen us and our congregations, for it
is ultimately the Holy Spirit at work in us that will fructify our Lent to its
fullest.
SULPICIAN FATHER RONALD WITHERUP is former superior
general of the Sulpicians and the author of a new book of daily Lenten
meditations, titled “Ashes to Flames: A Lenten Pilgrimage” (Paulist Press,
2025).
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