Lent is the ecclesial and liturgical commemoration of the forty days and nights of prayer and fasting of Jesus in the desert after He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. During this Lenten season which began last week’s Ash Wednesday and will end before Easter, we, Christians, try to imitate Christ by living a life of intense prayer and serious fasting especially on the days of obligation. During these days, it is good to observe some of the Lenten traditions and devotions enlisted below that will help us be one with Christ in His sacrifices and sufferings for our salvation and that will guide us to live the life of Christ, the life of being the children of God.

1. PRAYER. Prayer is an obligation of each of us Christians as it establishes and deepens our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It nourishes our spiritual life as through it we entrust our lives to God who is our Heavenly Father. During this Lenten season, we are encouraged to strengthen our prayer life by dedicating more time for it and doing it as an individual and also as a community or family.

2. PENANCE. The days and times of penance for the universal Church are each Friday of the whole year and the season of lent (Can.1250). Penance is a moral virtue whereby we accept our reality as sinners and we detest our personal sins because they not only separate us from the Holy Trinity but most especially offend God who loves us unconditionally. With the genuine sorrow for having offended God, through this virtue, we amend ourselves; satisfy the justice of God by acceding to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and firmly resolving not to hurt God anymore.

3. FASTING. Fasting is the eating of only one full meal a day which is better done during noon time. The other two meals of the day should be half meals only. Snacks are prohibited and liquid like water is permitted although milk, juice, soda and other kinds of beverages are discouraged. Fasting is obligatory for those whose age is 18 and above until 60 years old. Exempted from this obligation are those whose age is below 18 or 60 and above and those who are sick. Those who are weak and those who have work may take only the needed food. Fasting is a moral and ecclesial obligation and a law that must be observed on Ash Wednesdays and Good Fridays. On the other days of the year especially during this Lenten season, fasting is encouraged only.

4. ABSTINENCE. Abstinence is the act of not eating all kinds of meat or some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference (Can. 1251). St. Augustine (De oratione et jejunio, sermo ccxxx, de temp.) gives the following reasons for abstinence: “abstinence purifies the soul, elevates the mind, subordinates the flesh to the spirit, begets a humble and contrite heart, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, extinguishes the fire of lust, and enkindles the true light of chastity.” These are summarized in the official message of the Church found in the Mass-preface used during Lent: “Who by bodily fasting suppresses vice, ennobles the mind, grants virtue and rewards.” Abstinence is obligatory for those whose age is 14 and above. It is mandated by the Church on all Fridays of the year especially during Lenten season and strictly for compliance as a law during Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

5. CONFESSION. The Sacrament of Confession is the concrete manifestation of penance. In this sacrament, we are cleansed from the sins we have committed since our baptism or the last confession. Sin particularly grave sin offends God and the Sacrament of Confession reconciles us with Him and His Church and disposes us to receive the graces from Christ. Although we are obliged by the Church to confess at least once a year, yet in order to grow in our relationship with God, we are encouraged to confess our sins to a priest or bishop as often as we have committed a grave sin especially during this Lenten season.

6. SCRIPTURE READING. The Holy Bible is the Word of God that becomes alive and active in us the moment we read it or hear it. It is in reading the Bible especially the Gospels of Christ that we come to know more about Christ, learn His teachings and deepen our relationship with Him. This is a special kind of prayer wherein we are not the ones who talk but rather Christ talks to us.

7. VIA CRUCIS. Via Crucis is the Latin term for the Way of the Cross which is familiarly known as the Stations of the Cross. It consists of 14 stations which commemorate the sufferings and death of Jesus namely: “Christ condemned to death; the cross is laid upon him; His first fall; He meets His Blessed Mother; Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross; Christ's face is wiped by Veronica; His second fall; He meets the women of Jerusalem; His third fall; He is stripped of His garments; His crucifixion; His death on the cross; His body is taken down from the cross; and His body is laid in the tomb.” By praying this Way of the Cross, we accompany Christ in His way to death and unite ourselves in His sufferings and death so that in His Resurrection we may share with Him in His glory.

8. PILGRIMAGE. A pilgrimage is a journey that is done especially through walking towards a holy place for the purposes of venerating the holy saint of that place, of glorifying God, of being discharged of a religious obligation, of asking pardon of one’s sins and/or of begging God for some personal intentions. In our province of Catanduanes, the official pilgrim place is the diocesan shrine of Batalay Church, Bato. Another place for pilgrimage is the famous Batong Paluway Chapel of San Andres. Other churches or chapels can also be places of pilgrimage especially the Cathedral Church of Virac. During the pilgrimage to these places, it is recommended that while in a journey one or a group prays the holy rosary or stations of the cross and upon arrival at the pilgrim site, one or the group has to pray the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, pray for the intentions of the Pope and our bishop and as much as possible avail of the Sacrament of Confession.

9. CORPORAL AND SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY. Mercy is the love of God shown to us in the person of Jesus Christ. It is the virtue which we Christians must practice for us to become more like Jesus. To be merciful is not simply a counsel but it is somehow an obligation for us Christians who must do to others the things that we would like others do to us. These works of mercy show that we are one body in Christ and one in faith in one Lord; in other words, we are brothers and sisters in one God, our Heavenly Father. The spiritual works of mercy are the following: “to instruct the ignorant; to counsel the doubtful; to admonish sinners; to bear wrongs patiently; to forgive offences willingly; to comfort the afflicted; to pray for the living and the dead.” The corporal works of mercy are the following: “to feed the hungry; to give drink to the thirsty; to clothe the naked; to harbor the harborless; to visit the sick; to ransom the captive; to bury the dead.” Jesus Christ strongly commands the observance of the works of mercy particularly the corporal ones with a threat of eternal damnation to those who do not comply them. He says: “Depart from me, you cursed, in everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in; naked, and you covered me not; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me” (Mt 25:41-43).

10. SACRIFICE. Lenten season is a season to make some sacrifices for the love of God, to unite ourselves in the sacrifices of Jesus, and to discipline our will and our body. There are many things that we like to do or eat for us to enjoy the day. We like to see a movie or tele-novela, to play games, to dance; or we like to eat chocolate, fruits, and drink soft drinks or beer, etc. It is good to sacrifice some of these things and offer our efforts for Christ and even for those whom we pray.