February
16, 2021
Lent
at the Monastery
The forty-day season of Lent begins this Wednesday
with the traditional giving of ashes on the forehead,
calling all God’s people to repentance. The word
“Lent” actually derives from the Old English word
“Lencten” meaning “spring”. This is presumably
because the Lenten season ordinarily corresponds the
coming of springtime. It is through the
“pillars” of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that we
deepen our relationship with the Lord of life so that
we can experience Easter in a more meaningful way.
On Monday, February 15th, the
community had a “family meeting” to discuss a plan for
the observance of the Lenten season. The purpose
of the plan is to ensure that the communal observances
of our monks at St. Benedict Monastery encompass the
three “pillars” of Lenten sacrifice. Along with
the community practices and disciplines, each monk
chooses his own disciplines and sacrifices to offer to
the Lord. Our Prior, Fr. Damien Gjonaj invited
the monks to disclose to him their personal Lenten
observances so that he can pray for God’s blessings
for each of us as we journey toward the road to
Calvary with our Lord.
We encourage you to embrace the
gift of this holy season. Prayer, fasting and
acts of kindness and generosity are life changing
practices that we cannot do without. We pray
that the effort we are making as followers of Christ
may be of benefit not only for ourselves, but also for
those who count on our faithfulness and prayers.
May we truly make this journey of Lent a gracious time
of spiritual strength, so that we may share as one in
the eternal joys of Easter!
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