70 Days Until Easter and 40 Days Alone in the Desert with Christ

Today is Septuagesima Sunday. In the older Roman calendar, this Sunday marks 70 days until Easter. In the New Advent entry on Septuagesima Sunday, it states the following:

Septuagesima is today inaugurated in the Roman Martyrology by the words: "Septuagesima Sunday, on which the canticle of the Lord, Alleluja, ceases to be said". On the Saturday preceding, the Roman Breviary notes that after the "Benedicamus" of Vespers two Alleluias are to be added, that thenceforth it is to be omitted till Easter, and in its place "Laus tibi Domine" is to be said at the beginning of the Office.  

 The countdown for Easter has began. Next Sunday will be Sexagesima, or sixty, and the following Sunday will be Quinquegesima, or fifty. These weeks before Ash Wednesday are a pre-Lenten preparation. In the Fisheaters Septuagesima Overview, the noted theme is man's fallen state and the mood is penance. 

The wonderful part of the older liturgical calendar is that it gives one time to prepare. One is not thrown into a liturgical season without warning. Ash Wednesday and Lent do not suddenly appear on the doorstep unannounced and unprepared for. I have a very good friend, who exclusively attends the Novus Ordo, who lamented to me that she has been in "penance mode" since the beginning of the year because she wants to be ready for Lent. She admitted that she did not properly celebrate Christmas because she was focused on her New Years resolutions and having a routine that would allow penance. This makes me so sad. 

As noted in the sermon at my parish today, this is the time to prepare for Lent. We should be thinking about our acts of penance and easing into them. We have just come out of a great season of joy and the Church, in her wisdom, preserved in the old calendar, provides us with a time of preparation so we can be successful in the season of Lent. 

Soon, starting on Ash Wednesday, we will be alone in the desert with Christ for 40 days. During this time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; that is, during this time of penance, we should strive to grow in holiness in abundance. We should seek to perform meritorious actions and works of penance. But, we should be reasonable for our age, spiritual maturity, and state in life. 

It has been said that a penance which become burdensome to others is not a good penance. A mother who spends a holy hour daily at the expense of her children is not performing a good act of penance. The expense should only be mortifying self, not mortifying all. The father who chooses to fast all day and becomes irritated and demeaning toward his family, or hangry as modern colloquial language allows, is not performing a good act of penance. 

This being said, giving up chocolate is probably not a very good act of penance either. Unless you eat chocolate in abundance, the act of giving up chocolate is a minor inconvenience at times. Giving up cream in your coffee is a minor inconvenience, and not usually considered a mortifying act. These may be good examples of penance for children and those just beginning to understand the spiritual life. 

Over the next several days, it is time to begin a self-examination of what penances can be undertaken during Lent. 

Some articles to read on the subject of Septuagesima are:

Septuagesima: The Time that the Land Forgot

The Dismissal of the Alleluia

The Forgotten Customs of Septugesima

Meditation - Should I Be Doing That?

What is meditation? Meditation is a valuable tool.  Should I be doing that? Simple put, yes.

Meditation is a tool for self-care, prayer, and coping.

Whether in pain, anxious, depressed - meditation is a common recommendation.  When faced with an important decision, meditation is recommended.  Meditation is recommended for athletes, students, professionals, and religious.  Meditation is recommended by therapists, nurses, doctors, homoeopathic practitioners, priests, nuns, spiritual directors, and life coaches.  The catch is: meditation may mean different things to different people.

Arguably there are two types of meditation: prayerful and self-care.  There is, of course, some crossover in these.  Praying can contribute to self-care.  Self-care may include praying.  The purpose is different.  Prayerful meditation should be focused on God.  Self-care meditation can have a variety of focuses.

Prayerful meditation can be guided or unguided.  Guided meditation may follow a rule, such as the Ignatian or Carmelite method.  It might be as simple as placing oneself in the presence of God.  It may be more complicated, like analyzing a prayer line by line.  The Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy are also guided meditations.

Unguided meditation involves praying more freely with the intent of "being still" and "knowing that" He is God.  This may be simply sitting in the presence of God's creation.  The moments of awe can be unguided meditation.

Self-care meditation can have many purposes.  It could be to improve a mood, cope with emotions, conquer a problem, and look toward the future.  Meditation can be used for weight loss, pain control in labor, and coping with mental health concerns.  Meditation can be used to learn new things and process things learned.  Meditation can be used to balance work and life.  It can be used to prioritize.

Guided meditation, which can be called self-hypnosis, involves relaxing and holding an image in your mind.  This is often done with the help of another person who guides the meditation, such as a nurse.  This can be done with recordings.  It can also be done alone.  The setting must be relaxing.  The image must be positive.  Breathing must be rhythmic.

Unguided meditation can be used as a coping mechanism used in any situation.  It involves deep breathing and banishing thoughts for a minute or two.  It can be used in the instant.

This is not intended to teach meditation; rather, just to mention it.  I am currently listening to a podcast on happiness meditation.  It is interesting to hear different methods of meditation.  If you are not meditating, it might be what you need to find a meaningful, happy work-life balance.