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Imitation of Christ
Story by Paul Trevor
Illustration by Stevyn Llewellyn
 (Photos
by Leah Bluntschli - The Metropolitan) Pastor Chrysostom Frank marks Eucharistic
Minister Tim Turley's forehead with ashes during Ash Wednesday mass Feb.
25 at the St. Elizabeth of Hungary church.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period in which Christians prepare for Easter. In an effort to better understand Lent, The Metropolitan asked Father Chrysostum Frank of St. Elizabeth's Church, why Easter is so compelling it requires that much preparation time. Father Frank replied, "The life and death of Christ is the point in time when myth becomes history."
With this simple insight, the Catholic theology comes into view; the story of Jesus is one in which God and man co-mingle on Earth and in the same body-His.
Such a momentous celebration requires believers to do some work to get ready. That is the purpose of Lent; it would not exist if there were no Easter.
On the opposite end of the spiritual scale is Mardi Gras. This tradition of excess would not exist were it not for Lent.
In early days of the Church, Christians were required to abstain from eating meat and dairy during Lent. This led to Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. In French, Mardi Gras-literally translated as "Fat Tuesday"- points to congregants' need to use up all of these items prior to the start of Lent. So, Easter, Lent and Mardi Gras are related in this way.
Once Lent is underway, Catholics commence the serious aspect of preparing for Easter "The purpose of abstinence during Lent is to refocus ourselves to a higher good," Frank said. "Through self-denial a higher good may be realized." In addition, Frank points out, Catholics are asked to spend more time in prayer and to give generously to the poor.
Much has been made of the apparent connection between Easter and spring. The assumption is that the resurrection of Christ is mimicry of the rebirth of nature. Father Frank thinks this is a normal assumption saying, "Grace builds on nature."
Lent derives from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, which means spring. Also, the date for Easter is determined by the lunar calendar; it's the first Sunday after the full moon following the Vernal equinox. This method of reckoning is tied to the Jewish feast of Passover. This is the reason Jesus gathered his Apostles at the Last Supper, three days before rising from the dead.
While some Catholic theology may not be accepted by everyone, Father Frank lends perspective to the story by saying, "It's the story of Devine love." In remembrance of Jesus's travails at the hand of the Romans, Catholics receive a smudge of ash on their foreheads in the shape of a cross at Mass on Ash Wednesday. Also added to the liturgy during Lent, Catholics can attend the devotional ceremony known as the Stations of the Cross. These 14 moments in time recall Christ's trek to crucifixion near Jerusalem around the year 30 AD.
The span of Lent appears tied to the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting and praying prior to starting His ministry. Also, this is the number of days Moses spent alone on the mountain with God while receiving the Ten Commandments. Encyclopedia Americana referred to the number as "mystical." Please note that when calculating the date for Ash Wednesday, Sundays are omitted. Eastern Rite Catholics don't count Saturdays either, meaning Lent starts a full eight weeks before Easter. According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, The Church settled on the 40 day period at a conference held in 360 AD, meaning the tradition has been observed for more than sixteen centuries.
In England, Mardi Gras was called Shrove Tuesday. Shrove means absolution, to be shriven of sin. It's analogous to the term short shrift, which is a quick absolution given at the Last Rites. One is shrove on Tuesday to be ready to attend mass and receive communion on the next day. "In some places," Father Frank said, "The day was called Cheese Tuesday, in reference to people eating up all the cheese they weren't allowed for the next 40 days.
Mardi Gras exists because of Lent just as Lent exists because of Easter. This trilogy of observances and their symbiotic relationship is clear only when considering that Easter is the single most important event on the Catholic calendar, and of the three, Easter is the only one that stands alone. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lent prepares Catholics for that celebration and Mardi Gras derives from the penitents need to prepare for Lent.
The calendar tells us that Mardi Gras - which is French for "Fat Tuesday" - comes first. The English name for the same day is Shrove Tuesday, shrove meaning absolution. To be shriven is to attain absolution from sin. This is the necessary first step to participate in what comes next, Ash Wednesday. To partake in the Sacrament of Holy Communion at mass on Ash Wednesday, a Catholic must be absolved from sin by a priest.
At mass on that first day of Lent, the priest also administers a smudge of ash on the congregant's forehead in the shape of a cross; this as a reminder that we are all but human, mortal. It is a powerful message with the priest reciting, in part, "Remember man that thou art dust." This is but one way Catholics prepare for the most sacred day of the year, by recalling Jesus's suffering.
History and the Bible tell us that Jesus was crucified-- - hung on a cross - at the hands of the Romans in Jerusalem circa 30 AD. The Bible's New Testament and adherents to the Christian religions proclaim Jesus is the son of God and he was brought back to life, the Resurrection, on the Sunday after he died, the first Easter Sunday. These beliefs are the reason for the existence of Lent. Catholics prepare for the celebration of Christ's resurrection primarily in three ways: abstain from some earthly pleasure, give generously to the poor, pray and meditate on God's love for them by sacrificing in this and other ways,
Catholics are mimicking Jesus who spent 40 days in the desert prior to beginning his ministry, one which led, ultimately, to his crucifixion and death. This is the best explanation for the length of Lent, which is 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter excluding Sundays. Forty is said to be a mystical number and also corresponds to the time Moses spent on the mountain when God created the Ten Commandments. Jesus was Jewish, of course, and Moses is a central figure in the Jewish faith. The length of Lent was determined by the Pope in 360 AD.
The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten meaning springtime. There is, doubtless, a connection between the rebirth of nature in spring and the resurrection of Christ, at least symbolically and certainly in the minds of Christians. As noted, the purpose of lent is to prepare the body, mind and soul for the observance of Christ's death and rebirth. It's no accident that Easter occurs in that season, especially considering how the date is determined - by the lunar calendar. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring.
Historically, Lenten observers were required to abstain from eating meat and dairy products the entire forty days. In recent times, the Church relaxed the requirement to include only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday - the day Jesus was put to death, two days before Easter. Catholics are required to attend mass on these days as well, calling them Holy Days of Obligation.
The Church adds ritual to the menu of Lenten observances. There is the devotional Stations of the Cross, a commemoration of what is known as the Passion of Christ. This is a rather archaic meaning of the word "passion" essentially denoting Jesus's trial, sentencing and execution of sentence in the manner of the day as perceived by the Romans. There are fourteen stations, each calling to mind the horror and hardship Jesus suffered in the process of the crucifixion. Some of the stations emphasize Jesus's Godly nature and the pity his travails solicited from others.
The Metropolitan visited with Father Chrysostum Frank, administrator of the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, to try and get an inside view of Catholicism and Lent. We met in the "Friary" - so called due to once being staffed by Franciscan Friars, an order of Priests - adjacent to the 108 year old building. The complex is located on campus between the South and Central classroom buildings. The exterior forms a semicircle which houses mosaics of colored tiles depicting the fourteen Stations, under cover of a hardwood ceiling and featuring wrought iron fixtures. It is a placid and beautiful example of art in service to God and God's people (who is everyone).
Most intriguing to this reporter is the fact that Father Chrys is a married priest. Most people know that Catholic priests can not marry, but Father Chrys is of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church. He has faculties, or privileges in the Roman Rite Church which is generally viewed as the dominant Catholic sect in America. In this regard, his dual faculties allow the Reverend Frank to move in both realms, perhaps providing him with a larger overview.
We asked him why Hollywood made a movie about the life and death of Jesus and called it "The Greatest Story Ever Told?" Is it merely hyperbole calling this story "The Greatest?" He answered, "Because it's the story of divine love, the love of God for mankind and the story of God living among men." When asked why the story is so compelling he said, "The life and death of Christ is the point in time where myth becomes history." This is a hard truth for Catholics and Christians in general, one not to be disputed. The myths which every culture uses to explain the universe, the meaning of life and a human's connection to it, became actual fact, historic reality, in the case of Christian theology. This explains why Easter, at the end of Lent, has the highest importance in the liturgical calendar.
As to the Mardi Gras/ Shove Tuesday issue, we asked Father Chrys if he isn't a little dismayed with the ribald parties held just prior to the austerity of Lent begins. He said," Not really. Besides, there is historic precedent for the over-indulging." Oh? How so? In early times, the prohibition against consuming meat and dairy meant Catholics had to use up all these items before Lent began. In some places, Shrove Tuesday was called Cheese Tuesday."
About the Easter-Spring connection, Father Chrys said that "Grace builds on nature. The Church is not hesitant to use what nature offers to form Her message, to round it out making the message more accessible to the congregation." And the concept of fasting? "There is a distinction between fasting and abstaining. Abstinence is really what we're talking about in terms of 'giving up' for Lent. The purpose of that is to limit worldly pleasures to refocus our selves to a higher good. Through self-denial a higher good may be realized."
As regards the calendar and an understanding of Catholic beliefs, one must read backwards, from right to left. First and foremost , there is Easter; before that is Lent, forty days of preparation for Easter; then there is Fat Tuesday, the "use it up" feast before the serious spiritual work of abstinence begins. It all makes sense now. |
