The record-union., 1897-03-03
COMMEMORATION OF CHRIST.
To-Day InaugurateS the Season Of Fasting
and Prayer.
The Significance of Lent-Regulation
of the Catholic and Episcopal
Churches.

To-day the season of Lent will be in
augurated with all religious solemnity.
Its significance lies in the fact that it
commentaries the fasting of Christ,
and is fitting preparation for the joy
Gus celebration of Easter Day.
The primitive Christians observed
the lenten fast with great devotion and
strictness, abstaining from flesh meat
and wine, taking but one meal daily,
and that not until evening.
They also curtailed their sleep ris-
ing often during the night to
pray and lived in retirement, allowing
themselves only such things as were in
dispensable. These were at first Gus
toms only, although later they became
fixed laws. AS the various branches of
the church became separated from the
mother church most customs that in
volved discipline or hardship were
dropped out.
The Episcopal and Catholic Churches
have always observed with becoming
ceremony the fasts and feasts of the
Christian year, while in later years
other denominations have Joined in
their observance, yet not a few of these
had their origin in the fact that they
protested against such observances. In
EpiscOpalian and the Roman Catholic
circles social gaiety ended last even
ing, not to be resumed again until April
18th, Easter Day. Church members
must devote their time during the next
forty days to acts of charity and pen
ance, practicing acts of self-denial for
the good of others, and in this truest
charity seek to benefit themselves spir-
italy, and to prepare for the glorious
Easter.
In the early days of the Christian
church the apostles and disciples of the
risen Lord kept the Lenten feast as in
family the anniversaries of the deaths
of loved ones are kept. One could not
be merry on the return of a date when
some loved life went out. And so, sim
ply and naturally, the Lenten celebra-
ton began. Gradually precedent
broadened into custom and custom into
1aw-so that now there is a whole code
of Lenten rules, which good church
men, and especially good church
women, live up to.
Two of the great churches of
Christendom keep the season Of prayer
and penance alive. From March Sd
until Easter dawns on April 1Sth-for
Il is a late Easter this year-there will
be daily service in some of the
churches After the early Lenten days
the fasts and anniversaries increase in
number and importance On almost
every day there is something to be
done in memory of the One who lived
In a cot here, but went to prepare man
sions in heaven for others
Every Friday in all the year is a fast
day for the Roman Catholic Church.
Every Friday in Lent is a fast day for
Episcopalians, and most of them live
up to it faithfully.
The members of these two great
churches keep the forty days so re-
ligiously that social events simmer
down to the merest apology for enter
tainment during these days. The So
cial season ends with Mi-careme, the
evening of March ID, and after that
there is nothing until Easter Monday,
the most fashionable day for weddings
in all the year.
This season, above all others, is the
forty days of piety, happily sinless,
when one makes up for the peccadillos
or the guilt of all the year. 1t is the
time for the balancing of accounts.
1T is a special time" says a writer
on the subject for charity and kind
ness shown to others. People put away
from them some little luxury-sweets
or butter, some table dainty or some
pct extravagance-and give the self
Genial money itself the truest charity,
to others who have neither necessity
nor dainty.
The week Of all weeks, the climax of
all the Lenten services and devotions
comes in holy week-the last week Of
Lent. on holy Thursday the affairs are
gay with pink and white flowers, and
the services have a light-hearted ring
in them. During the darkness of
Thursday night all the flowers are
stripped from the affairs. to be re-
placed with black altar cloths. Every
vase is emptied, for there must not be
q visible flower on Good Friday. Cor
geous vestments are laid away-every-
thing is in mourning garb. and every
Good Friday the terrible death on the
cross is lived over again, and good
church people keep that fast more rig
orously than any other of the year.
With Sunday and Easter lilies skies
that should be blue and hats that
should be fetching. the feast of the
resurrection is celebrated-a resurrec-
tion not only of the crucified Savior but
OF the flowers and trees and all things
that were dead but now live again. 1t
is a festival infinitely appropriate to
the beginning of the spring and the re-
vival Of the living things"
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.
The forty days penitential season
will be observed at St Paul's Church
as follows:
Sundays-Holy communion, s a. m;
March 18th and April 4th. II a. m;
morning prayer and sermon, II a m. ;
evening prayer and sermon, 7:30 p. IN.
Week Days-Wednesdays evening
prayer and sermon, 1:30 p. m; Thurs
days, evening prayer. 4:30 p. m: Fri