The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-15
Lenten Observances
Should Be Emulated
Heritage Of Catholic Episcopal Churches Theme Of
Sermon By Rev. Or. Walker Of Second Church

mon, "The Fruits Of Repentance :
DIR. Walker said In part;
Our forefathers Of the Reforma
ton era, and may their names be
praised and blessed, seem 10 have
been oil too jealous In their deter
nlination TO purify the church. As
one Protestant leader has said, they
threw out the baby with the BATH
They were too extreme and too
swooping In their housekeeping, The
church needed publication and
needed 1t badly but not all the old
SuStoms which had grown up with
the pasSin gof the centuries since
the days OF the early church were
inherently bad, The keeping OK
Lent had originally served use-
full purpose, In the Christian fels
lowsaip and does now, properly un-
derstood and rightly observed. The
keeping Of Lent was once univer-
sal observance and I doubt not that
the day will come when once again
II will be observed In Christian
churches everywhere. The forms OF
observance will vary, and l think
ought TO vary, according TO tho
various traditions in the Christian
fellowship but the need for emphasis
on repentance, self-denial, discipline,
the wisdom Of careful spiritual
preparation for the celebration Of
Easter cannot be other than sound.
You will have to make your own
choice with regard 10 Ash Wednes-
day and Lent, You can, II you Will,
think of 1t In terms OF symbols Of
mans weakness and mortality. Re-
member, man, thou art dust" When
I think OF Ash wednesday, the be-
ginning Of Lent, the appeal for re-
pentance, think that that rugged
and gallant herald of Christ whose
proclamation OF repentance were so
powerful, so personal, so practical
that the multitudeS were moved 10
change their ways OF life to make
them conform to Gods pattern, I
think OF q gaunt and fcarleSprecali-
or who rebuked the king upon his
throne for his evil deeds and who
prepared theh hearts OF men for
the coming OF the Christ, No won-
der Jesus loved and honored John
and acclaimed him the greatest
among the prophets,
The whole world today seems
like a wilderness, The whole world
seems lost. All humanity Is tempted
and tried, This gigantic conflict
outragGS all our dreams OF O just
and friendly world. The youth OK
every country on the face Of tho
earth are being taught the most
scientific methods of u slaughter.
You may agrue that there Is no
other choice left TO US but the fact
remains that you cannot reconcile
the methods OF war with the plain
teachings OF the gospel, at least I
can't, In so far as We have tho
slightest responsibility for this
CHASTITY horror OF global war we
need TO search our hearts for all
the repentance we can muster,
The glory in the grey Of this pres
ent world Is the hope OF the gospel
of Jesus Christ. The horrors, the
hates, the revenges OF this present.
war will lead quite logically and GER
tairily to another war on the global
scale except as some other spirit
than that which Is dominant In the
world today takes root IN the hearts
of men. We can say OH the strength
of the Gospel message that this
need not remain lost world, md
that no one In this world, no mat
ter how baffled and beaten, need
remain lost soul.