After living and working in Micronesia much of the time from January 1973 through November 1997 my family and I moved to Erie, Pennsylvania. It was an extremely difficult decision and many issues, which I won’t go into here, played into the decision to move. Since then I have worked for the Diocese of Erie as a canon lawyer and Tribunal judge, as well as the associate director for the Office of the Permanent Diaconate. My role as associate director is primarily related to coordinating the deacon formation program.
Our deacon formation program runs for five years and involves classes in theology, liturgy, spirituality, preaching and pastoral ministry, as well as regular retreats and practical experience in ministry. We also require spiritual direction, have a mentoring program and a variety of social activities to help built a sense of community among our candidates. It is a good program and we consistently have a solid group of men being ordained as permanent deacons with each class.
Over the years following ordination the deacons often comment that the five years of formation seemed to go by extremely fast. While the program was challenging, they enjoyed it and felt that they grew a great deal spiritually, personally and as ministers because of their years with the program. I mention this not just to brag a bit about our program but as a lead into a reflection on the season of Lent.
As the early Church began to settle into communities around the Roman Empire, the process of becoming a Christian became increasingly formal. Normally, people would go through a process of preparation for baptism. They were usually baptized at the Easter vigil. The RCIA process that most adults coming into the Church go through nowadays is a return to this early practice for the preparation of those to be baptized.
The catechumens, those being prepared for baptism, went through an intense period of instruction, prayer, service and spiritual discipline. This was a spiritually rich time for the catechumens and their relationship with God flowered, as did their sense of being part of a supportive and challenging faith community. After baptism, their pastors and bishops would continue to encourage them in their growth as Christians through preaching and spiritual reflection. Just as we have seen with the deacons who have gone through our formation program, many of the newly baptized would talk about how wonderful their preparation for baptism was as catechumens and would wish that they could go through the catechumenate again to recapture the spiritual richness they had enjoyed.
During the 40-days just prior to the Easter vigil all the catechumens would have a retreat, as an especially intense preparation for baptism. In many communities, the custom developed of the entire Christian community joining the catechumens in the 40-day retreat. Not only was it a way to share solidarity with the catechumens but it was a spiritual discipline that helped them get back into the rich spiritual experience of their own time as catechumens. Over the years this custom developed into what we know today as the season of Lent.
Often, we have the picture of Lent in our imagination as a time of penance, suffering and anticipation of the death of Christ on the cross. These are elements of the Lenten season, but they are only a small part of what Lent is about.
Even more than the grief of Good Friday, Lent anticipates the utter joy of Easter Sunday. It is preparation for the resurrection of Christ and reminds us of our hope in Christ regarding our own resurrection.
Lent can be a time of penance and spiritual discipline but this is not a bad thing. We often forget that when we make the effort to bring spiritual discipline into our lives we also experience a time of intense richness and a sense of closeness to God. The effort helps us to be more open to God’s presence in our lives.
Recently many of us walked up to the front of the Church and were marked with ashes as a sign of our entering into the spiritual discipline of the Lenten season. The minister who marked your forehead could say one of several short prayers. One of the options is to say “Be marked with the sign of the cross. Turn away from sin and turn toward the Gospel” This is my favorite Ash Wednesday prayer, as it is a reminder that Lent is not a sad time in the Church but is an invitation to celebration. Lent is one of the high points in the year.