Dear Parishioners of Blessed Sacrament & St. John Bosco Churches,
FIRST OFF, I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart (literally!), for your many prayers and "best wishes," during my short stay in the hospital. Since many of you were curious about my condition, and there being a lot of speculation as to what the problem was, I thought I'd give a short summary.... My heart rate (pulse) went pretty much berserk! It went from a steady 65 to 70 pulse to 135-140! This went on for a couple of days! The doctors tried to "re-set" the heart first using chemicals, but finally had to resort to "shocking" the heart into "subjection!" Thanks be to God, this did the trick and the pulse went back to normal. I was diagnosed, finally, with atrial flutter.
For a priest to be sent to a hospital is quite a lesson.... not as a visitor, but as an inmate. You learn first hand how it is to lose your privacy, for your arms to be treated like pin-cushions, and most of all, to put your complete trust (and life!) in the hands of fellow humans.
This leads us to the holy season of Lent! It is a time of turning toward God; of true repentance; of putting to death those things that keep us from Him, namely, the world, the flesh, and the devil!
Like my stubborn heart, that had to be forced into subjection and submission by shocking it, so we too must do the same with will.... It is our stubbornness that keeps us from complying to God's holy will, thereby causing us to commit every type of sin--- from mortal to venial. This is one of the main reasons for the season of Lent and why we must take these 6 weeks seriously!
So therefore, I wish to give you some ideas for making a good, holy Lent this year... hopefully the best one of your life! SO, PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY.
Firstly, we must understand that Lent is not something we should treat lightly, or regard as just another devotion. On the contrary, the season of Lent is as old as the Catholic Church (20 centuries old)! We can correctly assume that Our Lord Himself, after His own example, commanded that Lent be zealously observed! We must understand as well, that our holy Mother Church is keeping the best interests of her children at heart by forcing us, under pain of mortal sin "to fast and abstain on the days appointed." This "forcing" is to ensure that we observe the Divine Precept of Our Lord: "Unless you do penance, ye shall likewise perish." (Luke 13:3)
So what does the Catholic Church command us to do for Lent?
At the very minimum, we must observe the TRADITIONAL LAWS OF FAST AND ABSTINENCE which are as follows:
A. For ages 21-59 (inclusive)
1. Fasting--everyday from Ash Wednesday to Easter (with exception of Sundays) is a Fast Day. On a fast day, one may have only one principal, or full meal and 2 smaller meals, meat may not be taken. And, at the 2 smaller meals the combined quantity cannot equal more than the main meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids including coffee, tea, soft drinks, milk, etc., may be taken any time.
B. For ages 7-20 (& older than 59)
1. Fasting--No obligation
2. Abstinence--everyone 7 and older can have NO MEAT Ash Wednesday & Fridays
SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
A. WHAT TO DO FOR LENT?
1. Make a good Confession----start the Lenten season with a clean heart... in order to make our penances acceptable to Almighty God. Remember, to gain any supernatural merit we must be in the state of sanctifying grace.
2. If possible, attend Daily Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist. At least try to make a daily Spiritual Communion (that is, have the desire to receive Our Lord!
3. Make the Stations of the Cross at home or chapel; and recite the Rosary daily.
4. Do Spiritual Reading.... the Bible, Lives of the Saints, The Passion of Our Lord, Catechism, etc.. allot some time (1/2 hr a day?) for this.
B. WHAT TO OFFER UP FOR LENT?
1. Give up television, movies, internet, video/computer games, etc... all very worldly distractions!
2. You can also add all secular/worldly reading material.
3. Give up alcohol, tobacco, coffee, desserts, meat sweets, etc... anything that we are attrached to.
4. Give up your favorite music, talk radio, etc.
5. Give up some sleep... maybe an hour's worth (gives more time to prayer & spiritual reading!)
FINALLY, experience teaches us that if we start Lent with a strong resolve, we will end Lent strong. on the contrary, if we begin weakly & half-heartedly, we will end Lent in like manner (or worse!).
(NOTE: Sundays are considered Feast Days, therefore, you are free to take a break from your "sacrifices.")
May Almighty God bless you with a grace-filled Lenten season and our Mother Mary love and guide you!
Sincerely in Jesus & Mary,
Father Thomas Zapp