Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-28
BISHOP COOK URGES
OBSERVANCE Of LENT
issuss Pastoral Pointing Out
lts Significance and Duty
Of the People.

In Lenten pastoral to tho clergy
and iaity. Rishop Philip Cook OF the
Episcopai Diocese OF Delaware urges
that the 40 days preceding Easter be
observed seriously by repentance and
self-denial. The usage Of family pray
ers, including grace before meals, and
acts of self denial. including fasting,
together with the reading OF spiritual
books. are among the abscrvances
suggested. In the pastoral he says In
part:
Days and seasons bring their own
lessons and enforce their own teach
ing. How much poorer the world
would be without Christmas and East
.r. hut we have little right to accept
the joys and triumph OF Christ and
neglect his disciplines. The crown be-
longs To him who endured the cross.
our lives so easily fall into groove.
our attitude towards the great Chris
tian truths aud principles become SO
matter of fact. The suffering and pas
sion of Christ sink into a dim and
almost unreal background. Our strug-
gle with sin In ourselves and i'm others
lapsos into complecency. Worldliness
lays the cold hand OF indifference up
on our enthusiasm for righteousness
and the things OF the spirit. We all
need TO be reused again to vital issues
TO what Christ has done and is doing
for us.
Lent offers this opportunity and
comes with greater force because we
are doing the same thing at the same
time with definite plan and purpose
af
reality, not simply n period of fancy
fasts and conventional observances
Look TO Christ and see the wages of
sin Is death for ourselves and for
others. Let us examine ourselves hon
estly before God. face our sins, and
by HIS grace seek to conquer them
Let us give up our ordinary pleas
urcs and amusements. not because
they are wrong, for IL they are wrong
we ought never TO indulge in them; but
because they interfere with the ser.
ious business we have I'm hand.
Let us put Christ before us "a the
one safe guide of our lives. Let u'
know more about him by reading ant
study. Let us know him better a.
friend and companion through prayer
Let us pray more 10y frequent atten'
dance at public worship and by pray
ers i'm the family and in private. Il
you do not pray. learn to do so now
II you pray little, pray more. Let III
practice real self denial that we ma,
have more to give away in the practic'
of religion and for the works of th'
Kingdom. Acts soon become habits
habits quickly crystallize into char
actor. This Lent may leave an indeli
lle impression on our lives Pray more
do more, give more. Let us have
program with God and keep IT.
80 use this season that Easter ma,
find us more loyal Churchmcn, mor'
dilgent disciples OF Christ, better ant
more efficient Christians"
The reading of the Bible. especiall,
those passages which contain tn,
events OF Christ's life. is another OBJ
scrvance recommended for Lent. Amont
the Bible passages suggested are the
six studies on the miracles OF Christ
six studies on the parallels of Christ
six studies in the sermon on th'
Mount. six events In the ministry o
Christ, six events connected with tn
passion OF Christ and the trials an,
death of Christ.
Definite resolutions to amend thei
manner Of living is also advised {
the members of the clergy and laity
These include the correction of dali
faults and increasing the ordinar
charitable acts that are performed
ono of the resolutions should be: g
will make a sincere effort to be les
selfish. more cheerful. kinder and NOR
generous i'm my daily life and by sue
acts school myself to he a more dill
gent disciple OF my Master who b
Ills Cross and Passion brought re
domption to me and all mankind