Lent is almost here

This Wednesday, February 25, is Ash Wednesday and so the beginning of the Lenten season. In the monastery we have the practice of writing out our Lenten resolutions, or as we call them, our bona opera (good works) and turn them in to the Abbot for a blessing and his approval. This is following the Rule of St. Benedict where in chapter 49 of the Rule, St. Benedict says: "Everyone should, however, make known to the abbot what he intends to do, since it ought to be done with his prayer and approval." I got mine approved last Friday. The Abbot sees each monk individually for about twenty minutes to do this.


As a community we also do some special things for the Lenten season. On Ash Wednesday we will have a day of recollection which means we keep silence all day with no recreation periods, no television etc. We will also have a spiritual conference in the afternoon. On the Fridays of Lent we also observe more silence with no recreation periods and no television. Of course we do have to talk depending on our work. We also do not have dessert at meals during Lent except on Sundays and major feastdays. So all and all we do know it is Lent but none of us are hurting from these practices.

The seminarians begin the Lenten season with a three day retreat. It will begin Ash Wednesday morning and conclude on Friday evening with supper. This year their retreat is being given by Father Denis Robinson, O.S.B., Rector of St. Meinrad Seminary.

I pray that all of you who are readers of this blog have a blessed Lent and truly prepare for the Easter celebration.

I always like to include a picture on the blog.
This one is of my brother Ed and myself.
Ed is the youngest one and I was two
older than him. My brother Ed died of cancer
in 1955. He and I were very close. In this
picture I am guessing he was about two years old
and I was about four years old. That means it
was probably taken about 1937 or so.