Quadragesima Sunday: Increase the Son During Lent

Feb 21

It is so nice that the sun is still shining past 5 PM. On Long Beach Island, we have a bit more than 5 and one half hours more sunlight on the June 21st, the summer solstice, than on Dec. 21st, the winter solstice. That’s quite the shift and we are in the middle of it! As the daylight hours are increasing, we know we have turned the winter corner despite the cold and chunks of ice still scattered around. The sun hanging in the sky longer than the day before proves that Spring is coming. We can breathe a sigh of relief, especially after a very cold February!

The rising of the sun intuitively points us to the rising of the Son. I cannot think of a better metaphor for the Resurrection than that break of light that cracks open the
darkness every morning. As a church, we celebrate the Resurrection, the absolute apex of our faith, during Spring, the time of the year, at least for those of us in the Northern
Hemisphere, when the sunlight is the brightest and remains in the sky the longest. We can also breathe a sigh of relief because we know the Son will Rise. That is what we profess, Jesus is Risen! What an awesome mystery that is before us.

The word Lent is a shortened form of the Old English word lencten, meaning "spring season.” In Spanish, the word for Lent is cuaresma which comes from the Latin quadragesima,
meaning “fortieth,” signifying the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, where He prayed and resisted temptation before beginning His public ministry. Traditionally, in the Roman Catholic Church, the First Sunday of Lent has been called Quadragesima Sunday. We begin our 40 days to Easter (not counting Sundays.) Following Jesus’ lead, Lent is a time of
fasting, abstinence, and prayer, often to examine our
consciences and to “work on” our sins. Today’s Gospel tells us of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. After 40 days of fasting, He grew weak. We would too. After 40 days of intense prayer, He knew where his source of strength came from. We can too.

During the next 40 days, while we fast, abstain, and pray, we too will most likely be confronted by our own sin. The point of Lent is to remove those things that sooth us and distract us from a deeper sense of self, of recognizing who we are before God. No masks. No cover ups. No false self. But might I
suggest that during the next 40 days we do not focus on our sin. They will come to the fore if we do it right. Let us focus on that great mystery that is our promise, the fullness of life through Jesus Christ Risen.

If you find that Lent becomes painful, focus on the Risen Lord. Confessions are every Saturday from 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM or by appointment with one of the friars. If you think you would need to talk a bit more than a confession would allow, please feel free to call the parish office. I know Frs. Kevin, Matt, and I would welcome the conversation and the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation with you.

Lent can be seen as a burden or it can be seen as a time of liberation, a Springtime, to reawaken the beauty of life within us.

In an email to the priests of the diocese, Bishop O’Connell shared this message from Pope Leo: "Let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us. Let us ask for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so that hurtful words may diminish and give way to a greater space for the voice of others. Let us strive to make our communities places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome, and listening opens paths towards liberation, making us ready and eager to contribute to building a civilization of love." Scan the QR code if you would like to read Pope Leo XIV’s Message for Lent 2026.

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