In this
article, Pope Benedict calls "Christians to embrace the tenets of prayer, fasting and almsgiving" during the Lenten season. It made me wonder why we emphasize this sacrifice so much during the Lenten season as opposed to year-round. Thoughts?
I think this is an interesting statement from the Pope. Understandably, the Pope wants people to become more directly involved in the deeper religious aspects of Lent. However, I agree with your question. If these acts of charity and purification are so important to the practice of Christianity, the Pope should encourage people to act piously year round. My own answer to this question is that the Pope probably does encourage people year-round to act according to the values of Christianity. I think that the Pope just made a bigger effort to publically encourage people this week because it is Lent; especially, since people, who might not be very religious, often pay more attention to and observe the major holidays of Christianity like Christmas, Easter, and Lent.
ReplyDeleteI think that fasting and prayer take on a new meaning to Christians during lent. I have always been under the impression that yes, you are always supposed to do these things but during Lent, they are done not just to worship God but to almost morn for Jesus. I have always seen Lent as more of a mindset for the Christian church. Lent is a time to be reflective of the sacrifices made for us. I remember reading in Benedictine's rule that they could eat two meals on normal days and only one during Lent. Although both are moderate, its about the sacrifice during Lent.
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