The Holy Season of Lent

The Holy Season of Lent is associated with the Passion and Death of Jesus, thus giving it a sorrowful tinge. Indeed this is so, but this sorrow should in no way obscure the Graces which Lent bestows on us. According to the Liturgy of the Church, Lent is a race filled - season, provided we avail ourselves of this Spiritual Treasure.

To be entitled to these graces, we should intensify to our prayer life, indulge in penance, resort to fasting and Abstinence and be generous in giving alms. All these practices go hand in hand and should not be practiced in isolation. To begin with we should intencify our prayer life during Lent. The Eucharist takes pride of place and as such we need to frequent Holy Mass during the entire period of Lent. Practices such as the Way of the Cross and and pilgrimage to religious shrines need to be encourage. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, spending sometime with the Lord is an excellent practice, if followed throughout Lent. Praying the Rosary with the Sorrowful Mysteries will certainly enhance the Spiritual flavour of our Lenten Prayer Life.

Penance - In the form of the Sacrament of Reconciliation will certainly enrich us provided we humble ourselves before our Heavenly Father, who is, always waiting with open arms to forgive the repentant sinner - Ez : 18  - 21. This then is an excellent channel of receiving God's grace. Besides simple practices such as abstaining from meat on certain days, forgiving your enemy and all those who may have hurt you, abstaining from alcohol, smoking and other activities will certainly draw us closer to God and His unfathomable mercy.

Fasting - is an essential, ingredient of Lent. In the distant past Catholics fasted for forty days throughout Lent. Now this is reduced to just two days. So is abstinence from meat. Our elders, relating stories of bygone days remind us of how on the day prior to Ash Wednesday, late in the evening,  every household would be heard scrubbing earthenware chutty-pots in which meat was normally cooked, after which these would be cast aside until Easter Sunday. At the Divine Retreat Centre in Chalakudy in the South Indian State at Kerala, all weekly Retreats observe Thursday as a day of Fasting and Penance. During this lent, if only an attempt is made for fasting on Friday, this would certainly please the Lord. If so, when Easter dawns, we would be convinced, of having spent a Lenten season, filled with Divine graces.

Looking back at Lent in Sri Lanka in years gone by it is sad to note that many of our age old cultural practices now seem to be gradually ebbing out. Late as though it may be, we should resurrect them. One such practice is the chanting of Pasan (Passion) to musical notation, introduced by St. Joseph Vas and put into effect by Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, the father of modern Catholic Literature. During Lent in past years, it was a common practice for every Catholic family to gather together in front of their respective homes after sunset and commence chanting, Pasan. This chanting was continued from house to house with almost every house responding and all joining in chanting the chorus. This went on till dinner throughout Lent and thi chanting would conclude by singing that classic of Fr. Jacome Gonsalves "Daya Wenawa Sunde" with all houses joining in the singing. It is sad to note that this practice is gradually fading away except in a handful of villages in the Chilaw Diocese and in the village of Wahacotte in the Kandy Diocese. Catholic Sri Lanka, should strive to get back to this age old tradition in keeping with the spirit of Lent.

Another Lenten practice is that of staging Passion Plays, also introduced by St. Joseph Vas and carried forward by Fr. Jacome Gonsalves. These were modelled on the Passion Plays enacted in Goa by the Portuguese. Life size statues of the suffering Saviour in standing pasture, scourged and crowned with thorns, probably introduced by Fr. Jacome Gonsalves, are to be seen to this day in the churches at Karthar Kovil, off Madhu, Parrappankandal, of Giant's tank and the Church Our Lady of Victories at Pesalai (Mannar). The statues used at the Passion Plays at Duwa and Negombo could also be attributed to the same period. However unlike Pasan these Passion Plays have come to stay in Sri Lanka. The Boralessa Passion Play of yesteryear, by the late Lawrence Perera, was by far, the best Passion Play ever staged in Sri Lanka.

Every adult and child living in Boralessa had a role to play as is the practice in the world renowned Passion Play in Oberrammergau, Germany. Today Passion Plays of repute are staged in Duwa, Negombo, Jaela, etc.

Alms giving - last but not the least is the practice of giving alms, especially to the poor. Almsgiving is an integral part of Lent. What we save in the form of fasting and abstinence should reach out to the needy, if not our fasting and abstinence become meaningless. "Fast by sharing your food with the hungry"(Isaiah 58 : 6 - 11).

As we enter Lent, it would be most appropriate if we could meditate on the Scriptural text "Dust thou art and unto dust you returneth" - Gen 3 : 19, bearing in mind the possibility, whether this would be our last Lent? In this backdrop let us spend this grace-filled Holy Season in the way the Lord wants it most pleasing to Him.