Gottesblog

Lent is a time of Catechesis in the faith. If Invocabit introduced the new Christian to an important reality of the Christian life, namely, that they have an enemy who likes to parade as a friend, the second Sunday in Lent, Reminscere, introduces the newbies (and reminds the old hands) that there are plenty of times to the contrary where our dearest Friend appears to us in the guise of our enemy, as one who seemingly ignores our pleas for mercy and aid.

Sadly, many of our modern services (following the suggested rubrics in the Altar Book) omit the lovely Introit for Ash Wednesday, with its powerful antiphon from Wisdom: “You have mercy on all, O Lord, and abhor nothing you have made. You look past the sins of men that they may repent. You spare them all because you are our Lord, our God.”