The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-01
LENT OBSERVANCE
In ST. LUKE'S PARISH

| Concluded from Page 8.
votional use of Holy Scripture, reading
and praying over a few verses, as one
miracle or parable of our Lord or one
| mystery in His Passion, ana begging God
! to apply its lessons to yourself. Most
! persons could give a few minutes each
| day during Lent to this practice, and by
its means would certainly be enabled to
grow in grace and in the knowledge of
| our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In
! making any rule for this practice, 1t is
| better to devote a certain time tsay five,
ten, or thirty minutes, as you may be
| able), rather than to resolve to read "A
/ certain quantity.
All the forty days of Lent the prayer
book tells us, are to be observed with
| such a measure of abstinence as is more
especially suited to extraordinary acts
and exercises of devotion"
Fasting is intended % to subdue the
flesh to the spirit; (2) to express sor-
row and humiliation acknowledging our
selves undeserving freely to partake of
Gods good gifts, and avenging past
| wrongful Indulgence; (3) to quicken the
soul for prayer.
For all these purposes Gods servants
under both the Old and the New Dispen-
! sation have practised bodily mortitica-
ton; nor can we without grievous fault
and loss disregard a practice enjoined by
our Lords own example and constant
teaching. All should form some rule for
bodily discipline. Such a rule must vary
| with different persons, occupations, tenn
permanent and strength. 1t must not in
| terfere with health, but should be such
| as to be really felt All but very few
| could resolve to eat more sparingly and
(of palmer diet, and to abstain during
Lent from luXuries. Many perhaps by
\makins rule to rise somewhat earlier
\ than usual would at once combat sloth
and gain some undsturbed time for devo-
| ton. Amidst the enervating luxuries of
our modern civilization it is especially in
| cumbent on Christian people to learn to
| endure hardness
WHAT A HOLY MAN SAID.
what shame" exclaimed a holy man
| of old "to be the soft and luxurious men,
| Der of a Head that was crowned with
| thorns!"
In Lent especially, when we commemo-
rate first the fast and then the passion of
our Lord, the church, His mystical body
| would have her members in sympathy
with the suffering experiences of His nat
ural body. How much of the excess, in
| temperance and sensualty that among
| all classes bring disgrace on a so-called
Christian land may be traced to the soft
| ness and absence of discipline of which
perhaps we have boasted as the sign Of
| Christian liberty, though in direct viola
| tion of the example and precept of Christ!
If the Word of God, the example of our
Lord, the practice of His Church, the eX-
| perience of His saints, and our own so far
as we have followed in their steps, are to
be of any weight, we must, if we would
| grow in grace and in the knowledge and
| love of God, set ourselves to mortify the
| flesh with its affections and lusts. 1t is
,,,1 4
to things that may be innocent that we
gain the power of self-control, and are en-
abled at once to say no when tempted to
some unlawful action.
1t is not of course the body only that
needs control though that in the disor-
dered condition of our fallen nature is
the cause of many sins. There must be
a UNIVERSAL self-dental, including the dis
ciplne of our words, our tempers, our
thoughts, our will. We must seek by de-
grees to bring every thought into captivi-
ty to the obedience Of Christ.
Repentance is the great work of Lent.
Turn ye even to Me-" saith the Lord,
, with all your heart, and with fasting,
and with weeping, and with mourning
(Joel ii. 12).
Seek We the Lord while He may be
, found, call ye upon Him while He is near;
let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrghteous man his thoughts; and let
!, him return unto the Lord, and He Will
have mercy upon him; and to our God,
for He will abundantly pardon" Qsa. liv.
6, y.
WORK OF REPENTANCE.
The work of repentance in its several
parts of self-eXamination, sorrow for sin,
confession of sin, amendment and satis-
faction, cannot be better summed up
than in the weighty words of the exhor-
taton in preparation for Holy Commun-
ion in the prayer book. Those who would
find acceptance with God are therein bid
den: First, to examine your lives and
conversations by the rule of Gods com
mandments; and wherensoever ye shall
perceive yourselves to have offended
either by will, word, or deed there to be-
wall your own sinfulness, and to con-
: fess yourselves to Almighty God, with
full purpose of amendment of life. And
if ye shall perceive your offences to be
such as are not only against God, but
also against your neighbors; then ye shall
, reconcile yourselves unto them, being
ready to make restitution and satisfac-
ton, according TO the uttermost of your
powers, for all injuries and wrongs done
by you to any other; and being likewise
ready to forgive others who have Of
Tended you, as ye would have forgiveness
| of your offences at Gods hand
| With regard to self-eXamination, con-
| slider not only our past life but also your
present state before God, the real con-
dtion of your soul in His sight; consider
the graces and virtues that should adorn
= it, as well as the vices that actually dis
, figure it. Be definite in your examination
and in all your repentance.
Il so run, not as uncertainty; so fight J.
not as one that beateth the air said the
Apostle Il Cor. iX. 26). Many of those who
i, are really trying to serve God would have
to say of themselves if they truly de-
scribed their manner of struggle, Il run
{ indeed, but very uncertainly'-not keep
ing in view the goal to be reached, and
stretching continually toward it, with nc
particular virtue that l am striving for
no definite standard before me; 80 fight
] just like one that beateth the air.
spending my strength in vain because
do not clearly see the enemy with whom
| have to contend, and against whom
ought to direct my blows. Find out your
besetting sin or sins, the faults into
which you most commonly fall, that are
at the root of most evil in your life, the
habits that more particularly hinder and
mar your Christian life. Set yourself dur
ing Lent in good earnest to combat these
| Concentrate the force of your prayers
your self-denials, your sacraments upon
these strongholds of the enemy within
you.
QUESTION TO ASK.
What evil habit. ask yourself am
specially to grapple with this Lent
What virtue in particular am | to cuti'
vate?
The Seven Capital Sins $50 called be
cause under one or other of these heads
of evil all possible sins whether OF
thought, word or deed, can be classified.
| m hGl he