Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-02-12

The Season Of Fasting and Prayer is Again
Upon U.s.
EgXT WEDNESDAY The FIRST DAY.
Something of the Customs Of the Church
at this Time.
The NOTIFICATIONS OF The RULES.

members Of the Catholic and Epis-
copal churches will be required TO
commemorate, by fasting and other peni-
tential observsnces the forty days fast Of
Christ in the desert. Wednesday is known
as Ash Wednesday, in recognition Of the
custom Of placing on the foreheads OF the
faithful the sign of the cross made with
ashes obtained from the palms blessed on
the previous Palm Sunday.
The vestments and draperies Of the
church during Lent are violent in color, to
signify the sorrow and penance into which
the whole Church is plunged during this
season. In the early ages they used to
form the people into great professions dur
ing Lent, and marched from one church to
the other, especially on Wednesdays and
Fridays, in their bare feet, to initiate the
professions of Rome, which were daily seen
for many centuries, and gave rise TO the
stations oil the titles OF the missal.
They increased their prayers dur
iLg this time, adding to the
usnal prayers of the breyiary on
Mondays, the Office of the dead; on We'd
nesdays, the gradual psalms; and on Fri.
days, the penitential psalms. In the
churches of France, during the week, they
added the whole one hundred and fifty
psalms to the ordinary Office. To keep up
the traditions of the Apostles, and to pre-
serve Lent as q time of penance, and OF
sorrow for sin, the church has never
wished the feasts Of the saints to be cele-
brated during this time. The present
Pope, Leo KILL, has changed many of
the offices OF the saints during Lent, so a.
to conform to the spirit Of the time and
the ancient practice OF the church. In
later times, some saints feats we've al
lowed in Lent, but al ways with great care,
because a feast is a day of JOY and glad
ness, which would break IN upon the
solemn penitentisl time Of Lent. The
Greeks and the followers Of the eastern
rites believe that no feast can he rightly
held during 4 time of fasting and OF pen
auce, while the followers of the Latin rite
allow certain feasts of great Importance
to he celebrated. As this life is q contin-
usl battle against the temptation and sin,
and the church, made up Of the clergy and
the people, is like a great army, Lent is
called the fighting-time Of The church.
The abstinence from meat in Lent is not
different from the prohibition on the other
days of the year like Friday, or the ewes Of
the great feasts. Meat is forbidden be-
cause it is the food nearest like our flesh,
and we can easiest do without it; while
fasting from food is ordered that mortified
ton by sell denial may be practicsd. In
the early ages tine Christians used to fast
till evening, and that continued 10 he the
way of keeping Lent till the ninth cen
tury. Then, when the fervor Of the PEG
Pile grew less and less, they began to break
their fast at the hour OF None, which cor
responds to about 3 o'clock in the after
noon. The Bishops Of the Council OF
Rouen forbade the fast to be broken till
vespers were begun in church, after the
office of None. Before that, on fasting
days, they used TO sing the offices OF the
breViary in the church, and None was be
gun at 3 in the afternoon, followed by mass
and vespers about shutdown. The people
gradually began to break their fast be-
fore these hours, aud the offices n
masses were begun earlier, so AZ to have
vcspers about noon, when the
people were allowed to eat at midday. In
the twelfth century the custom OF break
ing the fast at this became the rule
throughout the world. Then the disci-
pline became more aud more relax, and
in place of only allowing one meal in the
day the clergy gave the permission to also
take a little lunch or COLLATION." Ill the
evening. The origin of this lunch seems
to be very old and TO have come from the
monasteries. The Benedictines, for in
stance, were allowed to take it at 3 in the
afternoon or many other days OF fasting
during the year besides Lent. As the
monks worked hard in the fields their gu
periors, from tho l4th Of September, al
lowed them TO tsSe a little wine when the
bell rang in the evening for the Office Of
Compine. When they came together for
their wine the abbot or prior said a few
words to them, and the gathering was
called ''The Collstio," from the Latin,
meaning to meet together; and from this
again our English word collation."
meaning the part of a meal taken on fast.
The regulations for the observance Of
Lent by the faithful, have now for the
first time been made uniform in all the
dioceses of the United States. The regu-
laticns are made in accordance with an or
der of the Sacred Congregation Of the Holy
Office ny consultation Of Archbishop Glib
bons, of Baltimore with all the ATchbish-
ops of the United States. The schedule, as
submitted by them to the Holy See was:
First-That the use of flesh meat, eggs
and white meats he allowed at every meal
on Sundays, as well a. the principal meal
on all Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays-Ssturdays of Ember Days and
Holy week excepted.
Second-Likewise, that the use of white
meats and eggs he tolerated o. all days Of
Lent at the evening collation. and at the
use of flesh meat is forbidden.
ThiId-That in the morning q small
piece of bread be allowed with a cup of
coffee, tea, chocolate or some other similar
drink.
Fourth-That when the principal meal
cannot be taken ut nnon the order may be
inverted, and the collation. be taken in the
morning and the dinner in the evening.
Fifth-That lard or grease, commonly
called fat, may be used in preparing the
lawful victuals.
Sixth-Thst those Of the faithful who
are exempt from tie obligation Of fasting
can, on the day when the use of flesh meat,
eggs, and white meats are permitted to all
the faithful, be allowed to use them seve-
raj times a day, as on Sundays Of Lent,
when the obligation to fast Is not binding.
These requests were complied with, but
to the first 1t was also answered that the
use of flesh meat and fish together at the
same meal is forbidden during the whole
Of Lent. The practice Of eating white
meats and eggs mentioned in second re-
quest is also tolerated, and the requests In
the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, are
granted for ten years.