Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Pause in Lent

For Christians, the Lenten season is a time for reflection.  The forty days of Lent generally represent the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert in prayer and spiritual anticipation of his Passion, Death and Resurrection.

However, the Apron Senorita says...
The 40 days of Lent, which precedes Easter is based on two Biblical accounts: the 40 years of wilderness wandering by the Israelites and our Lord's 40 days in the wilderness at which point He was tempted by Satan.  Each year the Church observes Lent where we, like Israel and our Lord, are tested. We participate in abstinence, times of fasting, confession and acts of mercy to strengthen our faith and devotional disciplines. The goal of every Christian is to leave Lent a stronger and more vital person of faith than when we entered.
 Words and images, thoughts and reflections going along with the Lenten season include the Cardinal Virtues (and theological virtues) of:

Valour
Generosity
Liberality
Diligence
Patience
Kindness
Humility

...as suggested in Floss's blog.  She is inspiring others to write on this theme of A Pause in Lent during the coming weeks.  Please check her out; she has quite a following, writing from France.

For a post on a Lenten theme the day after Ash Wednesday, I refer to Philip Yancy's book What's So Amazing About Grace? when he writes about Bill Moyer's documentary film on the hymn "Amazing Grace". Moyers was sitting with Jessye Norman in her dressing room prior to a concert in London in Wembley Stadium.  She was scheduled to sing this song as the closing act which was to conclude a twelve hour concert for rock music fans.  This is from page 282 of the book:
"..(the crowds was) already high on booze and dope...The crowd was restless.  Few recognize Jessye Norman as the opera diva.  Alone, a capella, she begins to sing, very slowly the opening verse...A remarkable thing happens in Wembley Stadium that night.  Seventy thousand fans are singing along, digging far back in nearly lost memories for words they head long ago. 
When we've been there then thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun.
Jessye Norman later confessed she had no idea what power descended on Wembley Stadium that night.  I think I know.  The world thirsts for grace.  When grace descends, the world falls silent before it.

4 comments:

  1. Great Post - thanks so much!
    Lenten blessings x

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  2. Very interesting post. When I think of Lent, I think of Catholics in particular going through Lent, not all Christians. I learned something new today :O).

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  3. Oh Nancy, that's beautiful. I love both the song and that Philip Yancey book - in fact I sent my copy to another blogger when she was going through a tough time, so I really should buy myself another copy now. Thanks so much for this Lent post, and for your links to me and Yoli. I'll put you in my sidebar.

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  4. There's something very peaceful and soothing about Lent. I guess it is a time for me to slow down a bit and spend more silent, reflective time. At our Ash Wednesday Mass, one of the songs during the distribution of ashes was Tom Conry's "Ashes." It begins "We rise again from ashes..." You can check it out at the Catholic Music Project Volume V: Lent.

    Jessye Norman is awesome!

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