Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1912-02-23
EXPLAINS THE :
LENTON SEASON
REV. FIR. HAEUSLER WRITES
ARTICLE FOR PUBLICATION.
LENT BEGAN WEDNESDAY

LASIS fUkII.SM DAYS, FORTY DAYS
OF WHICH time ARE DESIGNATED
AS FAST DAYS.
Christmas, Easter and Pentecost are
the great festivities Of the year. On
Christmas we celebrate the birth of
Christ, on Easter his resurrection and
on Pentecost the descent of the Holy
Ghost upon the Apostles under the
form of fiery tongues. All the feast
days of the year center around these
three great festivals.
Christmas is always celebrated on
the 25th of December. 1t has four
weeks of preparation called advent
During Advent every Christian should
endeavor to gain purity Of heart by
penance, prayer, and longing for the
birth Of Christ in his heart, until it be-
comes reality ON Christmas in Holy
Communion. The festivals of the few
weeks after Christmas unfold to us the
blessings due to His birth and the
| response mankind has given to the call
Of the nations.
Easter Sunday, the feast of the resur.
rection Of Our Lord and the compile
ton of the work OF redemption, is al
ways celebrated on the first Sunday
following the first spring full moon.
This feast also has time of prepara-
tion, always extending over sixty three
days before Easter We have entered
this time now. The first seventeen of
the sixty-three days are remote prep.
aration for Easter We turn our faces
away from Bethlehem and look ahead
to Christ the triumphant retleemer Oh
Easter day. And Oh! The picture that
arises before our eyes! Before the Re-
deemer entered His glory, the passion,
the CROSS, and Calvary loom up. We
hear him calling to US: ,"He who will
follow me, let him deny himself, take
up his cross and follow me.' The
Captain commands, we must obey. On
Ash Wednesday, the forty sixth day
before Easter we begin Lent, the forty
days. fast, the suffering with Jesus,
80 that we may be glorified with Him
i Lent is of Apostolic origin. Its dur
alton varied, being sometimes forty
fifty, sixty or seventy days before
Easter. IL the Sixth Century Pope
Gregory the Great regulated the time
as we have it now
The fast of Lent begins on Ash Wed
nesdsy and lasts until Easter Sunday
During this time there are forty. six
days, but as we do not fast on the siz
Sundays falling in this time, the fast is
! just forty days. For this reason it is
: called the forty days of Lent.
} Moses, Elias, The Ninivites and ever
Our Lord tasted forty days. The Christ
ians initiate their example. They fast
to learn to overcome their desires, te
purify their hearts, and to do penanct
for sins committed, so that they may
arise with Christ to new and spiritual
life. All worldly distractions must b.
avoided during this time. A sad and
truly sorrowful heart cannot bea,
festivities and merry making. The
church allows no marriage festivities
the Alleluias and other joyful songs in
the church are omitted, the organ
should not be played in the church
public devotions should be increased
the Stations of the Cross are said or
Friday and Sunday nights, we shoulc
mediate daily on the passion of Christ
Through such practices the heart will
be moved to contrition and sorrow anG
be prepared for "a worthy reception al
communion on Easter.
The name Ash Wednesday come.
from the ceremony of putting ashes or
the forehead on this day Ashes are
symbol fdeath, mourning and penance
The ashes used on this occasion are the
ashes of the palm branches which we're
blessed on Palm Sunday of the pre-.
viols year. When sprinkling the ashes
the priest says: "Remember that thou
art dust and unto dust thou shalt re
turn With this thought the true
penitent begins the spiritual combat
Passion Sunday, the fourteenth day
before Easter invites us to mediate OK
clusively on the suffering of Christ
All the cruoifixes in the church ar,
covered or yelled to turn our minds tt
that cross which is to be erected upor
Goigatha, where the Redeemer in Hiii
sutferings concealed His Divinity. Th,
Yelling is of violet color. to rem Ind u,
that our hearts should sorrow ct th,