You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy
The Lord ordered Moses to speak to the Israelites, to instruct them that first of all they were to be holy. This call to holiness is still obligatory for those who want to please the Lord. Jesus in today’s passage of the Gospel confirms that moral rule and expands on it. Holiness is required for all the faithful who take their faith seriously and, we should be reminded, it is achievable for everybody. No matter whether one is married or single, young or aged – everyone is called to holiness. Since we are celebrating the last Sunday before Lent today, the reflection on our own holiness may be a good start for this sacred time of penance and penitence.
This Wednesday, February 26th, we begin the season of Lent observing Ash Wednesday. This is a day of abstinence and fasting. In our church there will be two Masses celebrated: at 9:15 a.m. along with St. Lawrence School and at 7 p.m.
When we are at the threshold of the season of Lent, it is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of what is the penitential discipline that we are to observe as Catholics. Although the rules of the days of penance are described by The Code of Canon Law (Church Law), the obligation to do penance is well rooted in the Gospel. Fasting is not a kind of diet to keep our bodies healthy, but it has a deeper spiritual meaning. We deprive ourselves of food in order to be more open to prayer, to share more in the suffering of those who are struggling, and to save money to give to the poor. Fasting is a penitential act intended to open our hearts to God and our neighbours. It is a means of purification and spiritual liberation and a witness to the depth of our faith. Abstinence, like fasting, is avoidance of something that is desirable in favour of something that is better. It is not a matter of vegetarianism or veganism. Fasting and abstinence are forms of penance in honour the sacrifice that Christ made for our sake on the Cross. What is the difference between fasting and abstinence? Fasting refers to the number and quantity of daily meals we have whereas abstinence refers to refraining from eating a specific kind of food, for example meat. On the day of fasting we can have only one meal and two small amounts of food. The last chapter of the 4th Book of The Code states: “The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent. Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday” (Canons 1250-1251). In Canada, the Conference of Catholic Bishops has declared that Fridays are days of abstinence from meat, but Catholics may substitute special acts of charity or piety on this day, and the law of ‘abstinence from meat’ binds those who are 14 and older, and the law of ‘fasting’ binds those from 18 to 59 years of age.
God bless,
Fr. Peter