Vatican, Feb. 22, 2007 (CWNews.com) – The season of lent is a time to "purify man before God," Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news) told worshippers at an Ash Wednesday evening service in the Roman basilica to Santa Sabina.
Vatican, Feb. 22, 2007 (CWNews.com) – The season of lent is a time to "purify man before God," Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news) told worshippers at an Ash Wednesday evening service in the Roman basilica to Santa Sabina.
The Holy Father added that the pentitential practices of Lent are designed "to satisfy God alone." Repeating a theme that he had introduced during his regular weekly audience earlier in the day, the Pope said that the traditional disciplines of Lent– fasting, prayer, and almsgiving– should be undertaken not as a means of self-fulfillment but as an effort to "decontaminate" the soul, eliminating the lingering effects of personal sin.
Pope Benedict began his Ash Wednesday ceremonies with a period of silent prayer at the Benedictine monastery of San Anselmo. From there he joined in a penitential procession to Santa Sabina for Mass and the distribution of ashes.
During his homily the Pope drew attention to the ancient tradition of visiting the "station churches" in Rome during of Lent. Each day one of the city’s historic churches is designated as the "station church" for that day, and many Catholics gather in that church for Mass and prayer. This traditional observance, which has enjoyed a popular revival in recent years, reflects the practice of the early Church, in which the Bishop of Rome would meet with the clergy and faithful in a different parish church each day during Lent, underlining the image of the liturgical season as a penitential journey.
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