Welcome to the First Sunday of Lent — Period Two Begins!

The Angelus (Millet, 1859)

From Fr. Withoos, Chaplain | Septuagesima70

Brethren,

The First Sunday of Lent is upon us, and with it the second period of our Septuagesima70 programme begins in earnest. If Period One was our preparation — a stretching of the muscles, a gathering of resolve — Period Two is where we step out onto the field. Lent has begun. Holy Mother Church calls us now to enter more deeply, more seriously, and with greater generosity into the penitential spirit of this most sacred of seasons.

A word of encouragement before we go on: you have already done something. You showed up. You persevered through the Septuagesima season. That counts. Take a moment today — it is Sunday, after all — to be grateful for the grace that has brought you this far.

And speaking of Sunday: as you know, in the spirit of the programme, today being a Sunday you may leave off one of your penances. Enjoy that small dispensation with a glad heart and an untroubled conscience. It is the Church’s way of reminding us that even in her most demanding seasons, she is a Mother, not a taskmaster.

But — and this must be said clearly — from tomorrow the full discipline of Period Two

applies, and there are no Sundays off for the duration. Lent is not a sprint. It is forty days of steady, faithful, sometimes unglamorous effort. Period Two calls us to leave behind the things to which we are most attached — the sweet drinks, the desserts, the social media scroll, the warm shower, the sport, the screen — and to take up in their place prayer, fasting, examination of conscience, the Stations of the Cross, and the daily hour given to God.

For the full details of everything Period Two involves, visit the Septuagesima70 programme page.

I want to say one thing plainly to you all today. Be manful about this. Men and women both — be manful. The world will tell you that self-denial is pointless, that comfort is a right, that you owe yourself whatever you desire. The faith tells us something different. It tells us that the soul is strengthened by what it freely refuses. That penance, offered with love, is not a burden but a gift — a gift to God, to souls in need of prayer, and ultimately to yourself.

Our Lord did not go into the desert for forty days because it was easy. He went for us. And He invites us to follow Him — not to the sofa, but to the desert.

Set your intention if you have not already done so. Offer these forty days for something — a soul, a loved one, your own conversion. The devil will come, as he always does, and whisper that it is not worth it, that you should give up, that you have already failed. When he does, remember why you began.

The weekly colloquys continue this Wednesday (men) and Thursday (women) on Telegram — please do make use of them. And as ever, I am available via Telegram (@FrWithoos) for any questions, dispensation requests, or simply a word of encouragement.

Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Cor. 6:2)

Let us begin.

In Our Blessed Lord and Our Lady,

Fr. Withoos Chaplain, Septuagesima70