English Mass (First Sunday of Lent)

Lenten Regulations

Sacrament of Confession: The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most unique and beautiful aspects of Catholicism. Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. The sac- rament “washes us clean,” and renews us in Christ.

Prayer: You are encouraged to begin a special prayer journey during Lent. A good way to begin is through Stations of the Cross.

The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusa- lem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary. Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in almost every church.

Almsgiving: The foundational call of Christians to charity is a frequent theme of the Gospels. During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on "almsgiving," which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. As one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is "a witness to fraternal charity" and "a work of justice pleasing to God." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462).

Penance & Fasting
Ages 18-59 are encouraged to fast during Lent, limiting them- selves to one full meal and two smaller meals each day, with no snacking between meals.

Abstinence
Catholics age 14 and older, are encouraged to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all the Fridays of Lent.