This year, Lent begins in March. Twelve years ago, however, Ash Wednesday landed on February 13th. I remember this date because of what unfolded two days before. February 11th, 2013, is a date that held great significance for the Church and for me personally. At that time, I was a homeschooling mom, and I served as a monthly guest of Relevant Radio, the national Catholic radio station—often discussing topics related to home education and living the Faith within the family. On February 11th, 2013, I was scheduled to be their first “Morning Air” guest of the day.
The plan for that morning was to discuss Lenten practices for children. Little did I know that a dramatic world event was about to change the course of our discussion. As I connected with the station prior to the 6:00am start, Relevant Radio was just getting word that historic news was coming out of the Vatican. As we went live with the show, the host mentioned that Pope Benedict XVI had just resigned his position as Supreme Pontiff. This was the biggest news to hit the Catholic world in centuries, and here I was, a homeschooling mom from Minnesota on national Catholic radio, the first guest of the day to discuss it. God has a terrific sense of humor.
While the host and I pivoted our on-air conversation to address this shocking news, those working behind the scenes scrambled to line up guests who could discuss this consequential announcement throughout the day. However, being that it was just after 6:00am, many expert theologians, canon lawyers, and papal scholars were themselves just waking up and hearing the reports. Schedules were being cleared, the station was changing their guest line up for the day, all while the host and I continued our conversation for the next 45 minutes.
So what does a homeschooling mom discuss on national Catholic radio when the biggest news to hit the Catholic world is unfolding? My mind raced as I considered that question while we were live on the radio.
As our conversation pivoted from our planned discussion to the breaking news, I decided to connect the emerging events with parts of a homily that my former pastor had given many years ago. Fr. Arnold Weber, OSB, was a Benedictine priest and monk who titled one Ash Wednesday homily, “The Heart of Lent is Change.” Because Benedict XVI issued his resignation two days prior to Ash Wednesday, the theme from my Benedictine pastor’s homily was applicable as the Catholic world braced for unexpected change.
Benedictines take vows that differ from many orders who adhere to the Evangelical Counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Benedictines certainly embrace these disciplines, while following the vows set forth in the Rule of St. Benedict. The unique vows of St. Benedict include obedience (which involves listening to God’s will with the ear of one’s heart), stability (which binds the monastic to the community in which he or she professes their vows), and a vow of Conversatio Morum or “Fidelity to the monastic way of life,” which, according to Conception Abbey, “encompasses all aspects of the total self-offering of the monk to God.”
The root behind the Latin word conversatio means “to change.” As the world learned of the dramatic papal news of 2013, change was top of mind for many at the outset of Lent that year. And, according to Fr. Weber, the heart of Lent is, in fact, change. In his homily, he set forth challenging questions, questions that apply to all baptized Christians even today.
Fr. Weber said, “Traditionally, Lent is a time of repentance and self-denial. It’s a time to take stock of our lives. And so, we ask ourselves some questions . . . If Lent is about change, if Lent is about transformation, then how different are we today than, say, ten years ago?”
He went on to ask if we have grown more patient. He questioned whether we still carried grudges from years past. He challenged us to consider whether we had fallen from righteousness into self-righteousness? He then stated, “Friends, that’s the heart of what I think Lent is all about. It’s about change. Do we become different? Do we become more Christ-like? Do we let in more of Christ and less of ourselves?” Fr. Arnold also noted that “some people go to Mass week after week and year after year and never change. Lent gives us an opportunity to break that cycle.”
As I reflect upon my Lenten practices for this year, Fr. Weber’s questions remain top of mind. What will I do to intentionally grow closer to Christ and to become more like Him?
When I consider the Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, I am challenged to connect them to the fruits of the Holy Spirit. What prayer practices can I employ to help me grow in faithfulness, gentleness, peace, and goodness? What fasting practices will lead me to grow in modesty, patience, chastity, and self-control? And how can my almsgiving assist me in growing in generosity, kindness, charity, and joy?
As I look back upon the newsworthy events of 2013, I am reminded that change is inevitable. World events will continue to evolve, family fluctuations and personal upheavals will occur. Over these events we have little control.
However, the conversatio of our hearts is something that we are invited to embrace with intention, sacrifice, and effort. In the twelve years since that live radio broadcast announcing historic change for the Church, much has unfolded. My children have grown and are beginning adult lives and families of their own, world events have continued to develop, and Pope Francis, who has led the Church since Benedict XVI’s resignation, has ushered in a Jubilee Year of Hope.
And, yes, Lent is again upon us. Once again, we are invited to embrace change, to humbly and obediently submit to conversion, and to listen with the ear of our hearts for the voice of God in our lives. May we do so with faith, hope, love, and with joy.
St. Benedict, pray for us.
Photo by Håkon Grimstad on Unsplash
