Musings of an Expagan

Both Eastern Catholics and Orthodox Christians move slowly into Lent.  We move slowly into this for it isn’t an abrupt change, but it is a gradual awareness that the Lenten Season is upon us.

Starting Febuary 15, this year Eastern Catholics and Orthodox Christians who are on the newer Calender will celebrate the Sunday of the Last Judgement.  Which we also call Meatfare Sunday.  For the Orthodox Christian this is the Last day that we eat meat until the end of Lent.

After Meatfare,  the next week is called Cheesefare week, Week, also known as Maslenitsa, Butter Week, or Pancake week. It is celebrated during the last week before Great Lent—that is, the seventh week before Pascha (Easter). Cheesefare roughly corresponds to the Western Christian Carnival (Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday), except that Orthodox Lent begins on a Monday instead of a Wednesday, and the Orthodox date of Easter can differ greatly from the Western Christian date. In 2008, Cheesefare was celebrated from March 2 to March 8.

Cheesefare is the last week before the onset of Great Lent. During Cheesefare week, meat is already forbidden to Orthodox Christians, making it a “meat-fast week”  During Lent, meat, fish, dairy products and eggs are forbidden. Furthermore, Lent also excludes parties, secular music, dancing and other distractions from the spiritual life. Thus, Cheesefare represents the last chance to partake of dairy products and those social activities that are not appropriate during the more prayerful, sober and introspective Lenten season.

While Mileage may vary on the depth of fasting, some will do the full great fast, others will do a modified version, the reason why we are enter the Great Lent is the same.  We are striving to grow closer to Christ.  This is what the Liturgical Year is supposed to do, is to bring us into the Christian Mystery of the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord.

This is one of the reasons why the Orthodox, and Eastern Christians have many more fasting periods, because fasting is a tool that brings us closer to our Lord.  Yet, it isn’t out of beating ourselves up that we are fasting, we are fasting because we are screwups (ok… I admit I am a screw up.) the feasting and fasting brings us into the liturgical cycle of the year, and helps keep our eyes on the Lord.

When fasting we must keep in mind the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  Fasting isn’t something we do to bring honor to ourselves.  Matter of fact in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches we have this parable read to us before Lent (actually it was last Sunday for us) and this is the genius of the Church, the Church is already preparing us for Lent, and to make sure we understand that our Fasting is not to bring accolades to us, but rather, it is to be done in silence and for the glory of the Lord.

[9] He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others:

[10] “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

[11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

[12] I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’

[13] But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

[14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Also remember that the Tax Collector was saying the original version of the Jesus Prayer.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.

Amy Welborn’s Husband collapsed yesterday and died.  Please stop and pray for him.

http://amywelborn.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/michael-dubruiel/

Perhaps, I can save them a bit of money in this economy.  

Those religious groups that are faithful to the teachings of the Church, are orthodox, wear real habits, seem to be growing.  

Those religious groups that have bought into the new age bullshit, teach Reiki, flirt with goddess religions, embraced false feminism, seem to be dying.  

Vatican orders study of women religious institutes in United States

By Chaz Muth
Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Vatican has initiated an apostolic visitation of institutes for women religious in the United States to find out why the numbers of their members have decreased during the past 40 years and to look at the quality of life in the communities.

The announcement was made Jan. 30 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington by Sister Eva-Maria Ackerman, a member of the American province of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George.

She will assist Mother Mary Clare Millea, a Connecticut native who is superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, an international religious institute that has its headquarters in Rome.

Cardinal Franc Rode, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, appointed Mother Clare as the apostolic visitor.

The cardinal sent letters detailing the task to both the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the two major organizations representing heads of women’s religious orders in the U.S.

It is too early to know how many volunteers will be enlisted to visit nearly 400 Catholic institutes for women religious in the U.S., how much it will cost or who will pay for the study, Sister Eva-Maria said during the press conference at the national shrine.

“We hope to discover and share the vibrancy and purpose that continue to accomplish so much, as well as to understand the obstacles and challenges that inhibit these individuals and institutions, thus limiting their growth and/or redirecting their resources and outreach,” she said.

The study — which is expected to be completed by 2011 — is in no way connected to the apostolic visitation of more than 200 U.S. seminaries and formation houses in 2005 and 2006, which was ordered in response to the sexual abuse crisis that hit the U.S. church, Sister Eva-Maria said.

It was not known why the Vatican chose to do this study now, why the U.S. was singled out and what prompted the Vatican congregation to order it, she said. “I don’t even want to speculate.”

Once the study is concluded, a “comprehensive and confidential” report will be given to Cardinal Rode, but its findings are not expected to be made public, Sister Eva-Maria said.

“First, Mother Clare will solicit voluntary input from the superiors general through inviting them to make personal visits with her in Rome or in the United States,” she said. “During the second stage, the major superiors in the United States will be asked for information such as statistics, activities and community practices. Selected on-site visits will be made during the third stage.”

Catholic women religious have been involved in education, health care and a variety of pastoral and social services in the U.S. since before the nation was founded in 1776, said Mother Clare in a prepared statement released at the press conference.

“I am truly humbled and a bit overwhelmed,” she said of her assignment. “While I have visited each of the communities and missions in my own congregation, the thought of gathering facts and findings about nearly 400 institutes across the United States can be daunting in scope.”

A Web site, www.apostolicvisitation.org, has been launched to provide basic information about the project.

“I know that the object of this visitation is to encourage and strengthen apostolic communities of women religious, for the simple reason that these communities are integral to the entire life of the Catholic Church, in the United States and beyond,” Mother Clare said.

Sister Eva-Maria acknowledged that the population of women religious has significantly dropped during the past several decades, and that fewer nuns have chosen to teach school in the past 30 years in favor of doing social outreach.

“Recruitment is of great concern for every (religious) community,” she said.

“We live in a very different society,” she added, than that experienced by many of the U.S. saints who were nuns — Sts. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Frances Xavier Cabrini, Katharine Drexel, Rose Philippine Duchesne and Mother Theodore Guerin.