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Question
Good evening Father Angelo,
I am a 24-year-old guy who is very interested in how to “pattern” my life according to the liturgical times, because I think my attitude should be in accordance with what the Church has established in agreement with Jesus.
Throughout this Lent that is ending, I have wanted to deprive myself of certain things (except on Sundays), to live this period of penance in preparation for Easter in the “hardest” way possible. To the well-known practices of Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and every Friday of Lent, I added daily commitments such as: abstinence from music, sweets and meat (when I decided what to eat), almsgiving, the Stations of the Cross on Fridays, two weekly fasts, individual prayer (e.g., Rosary) on my knees. I am not telling you this to boast, because I know well that religious people like yourself perhaps fast every day of Lent, but only to illustrate my personal timetable for this period, which I experienced with great joy.
In view of the upcoming Easter period – 50 days of feasting – my intention was to stop fasting and not to do “hard” penance on Fridays, because I see this period as a big Sunday. So, I thought I would cancel all Lenten penance practices and not worry in case I happened to eat meat or fancy foods on Fridays.
After Pentecost, of course, I would return to the Friday penance for the whole Ordinary (abstinence from meat, sweets and music, almsgiving, Rosary on my knees) and to the pre-Sunday fast.
I would have done the same during Advent (with one less weekly fast) and Christmas.
Reading some answers on your website, I gathered that every Friday of the year is a day of penance, so I wanted to ask you how best to live Easter and Christmas Fridays: how to “differentiate” them from Ordinary Fridays for example.
I also ask you for some advice on how to avoid reducing these intentions to a monotonous, childish and superficial practice.
Thank you for your attention, for this website, and I assure a Holy Rosary for you and your brethren,
Lorenzo
Priest’s answer
Dear Lorenzo,
1. the “roadmap” you have given yourself for Lent is very nice.
All these practices undoubtedly give your life a penitential slant.
I urge you never to neglect them in these two seasons of Advent and Lent.
2. I would add a few things from a spiritual point of view.
First, I would tell you to often revive the motivation and also the spirit for which you perform these practices.
It is the motivation, and it is the spirit for which St Paul says: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church” (Col 1:24).
So here is the motivation: in atonement for your sins and for the conversion of many.
These “many” can be identified in certain persons dear to you for whom you desire conversion. Or in a general way they can be understood as everyone.
The spirit with which you must perform them is the joy that impels you to do something for the Lord: “Now I am glad”. It is the joy of being able to give, of being able to give up something in order to give it to Christ and for the building up of his kingdom.
This is the reason why the holy Curé d’Ars said that what it costs in these things is only the first step. Then you get a taste for it.
Yes, one gets a taste for loving, for giving, for building,
It is that taste for which St Paul again said: “All this I do for the sake of the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:23).
3. In addition to these motivations, which must be present every day of the year, and not only in Advent and Lent, I would suggest that you also perform other exercises, which are exquisitely sanctifying.
I point you to fasting from sin, especially the sin of tongues.
I point to the tongue because Holy Scripture says: “who has not sinned with his tongue?” (Sir 19:15).
And when I speak of the sin of tongues I mention charity.
Impart, especially in these two times, not to speak evil of anyone, even if someone’s evil were in the light of day.
St Paul says that charity “It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13:7).
The previous translation, instead of “it bears”, said “it covers”.
Everything that covers engages more. There are actions that cannot be excused, only deplored. And yet, instead of talking about it out of itching to say and listen, for the love of the Lord we want to cover everything up, as indeed the Lord continually does towards us.
How many times, living in certain environments and with people who don’t suit us, does the desire to tell the latest about them come about.
Well, to “cover” it for the Lord’s sake is a sanctifying action, it is an action that, according to St Peter, covers many sins in the world (“Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins”, 1 Pt 4:8) and attracts us many graces (Ps 133:3).
4. Concerning the specific question on how to behave at Easter and Christmas time, you have already guessed what my answer might be.
Apart from the Friday of the octave of Easter, which is like an extension of Easter Day, and the Friday after Christmas, which is counted as a solemnity, abstinence is obligatory on the other Fridays (unless they coincide with special solemnities such as the Epiphany, St Joseph and 25 March).
On the other hand, we must never neglect a minimum of self-control over ourselves and at the same time we must remember that many continue to go away from the Lord even during Christmas and Easter and need our cooperation to be brought back to Christ.
At this time, you may perhaps mitigate or cancel the penances you impose on yourself but continue to do those that the Church commands you to do.
I thank you for your beautiful testimony and for the opportunity you have given me to add to it.
I remember you to the Lord and bless you.
Father Angelo