Having arrived this season of penance, Holy Lent, we may look forward to the opportunity to put forth the effort of accepting God’s graces for the good of our salvation. It is not a burden to shy away from. In this season we can find the courage to do as we ought, to look straight on toward the great gift Our Lord has bestowed upon us. All are free now to do what perhaps we felt throughout the year we could not do, namely embrace God’s love and live in accordance with His will.

As the Society of Saint Pius X is looking toward new consecrations and the threat of sanctions, we must never forget that this act is one of charity for the good of the Catholic Church. The Society esteems and loves what is most perfect, Who is God. And it is for God and His Church, that He established for the salvation of souls, which the Society serves. The Society will continue to serve this mission regardless of any adversity placed before it.

We may dread Lent and the reminder of our eternal destination. We should instead orient our minds to seeing Lent as a beautiful challenge to grow closer to God. Lent is not an obstacle, but an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Christ’s teachings are often presented as a paradox. We may puzzle over Or Lord’s teaching that in our weakness we may be strong. But in reflecting on this puzzling teaching, we understand that in knowing our weakness and frailty, it is God alone Who gives us strength. In humility, we understand that above all else we need God and that our weaknesses are not an affliction to be disparaged, but rather an opportunity to draw closer to Him.

The announcement of the Society of Saint Pius X’s forthcoming episcopal consecrations has caused mixed emotions, ranging from relief to fear. There can be no doubt about the seriousness of this decision. However, it must be examined in the light of the seriousness of the situation that has brought it about, namely the ongoing crisis in the Catholic Church. The decision to consecrate new bishops for the Society is not an act of defiance, but done out of a genuine desire to save souls.

The recent announcement of the Society of Saint Pius X’s Superior General, Don Davide Pagliarani, that the Society intends to consecrate new bishops on July 1st took many by surprise. Although it remains uncertain what Rome will do in response to this momentous announcement, all of the priests of the Society were directed to preach on this decision, laying out why these consecrations are necessary for the preservation of Tradition and the good of the Catholic Church.

As enter the period of transition from Christmas and Epiphany to Lent, it is time for us to reflect on how to prepare for this penitential season. It is a time of clearing out obstacles to God’s grace. When it comes to our penances, mortifications, and resolutions, they must always be done out of the love for God. All of these entail some degree of suffering, but we must remember the suffering of Our Savior for us while elevating these acts above the level of mere self-improvement and toward growing closer to God.

The Feast of the Purification, otherwise known as Candlemas, represents the end of the Christmas liturgical cycle. It is also a feast directed toward Our Lord and Simeon’s great longing for the day of His Incarnation. Simeon represents the expectation of the nations, awaiting the day when God would come to dispel darkness from the world.

When Our Lord heals both the leper and the Centurion’s servant. He awards both men for their faith, humility, and submission to His will. The account of these miracles of Christ are united in these men overcoming their discouragement and looking to Our Lord with both faith and a willingness to submit to God’s will. Every person has set backs. Every person gets discouraged. But ultimately, uniting our will with God’s, as trying as that can be at times, is the true path to sanctity. He will never abandon us. 

In the Gospels, we are met with the story of the leper who says a simple but profound prayer, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” He desires to be rid of his affliction, but ultimately he leaves it up to God’s will. In a distant time before this leper met Our Lord, we are taught in Scripture of Job, a man who lived righteously his whole life with much abundance, which was taken away. Despite numerous temptations, he remained faithful to God and, like the leper, practiced a holy indifference to worldly comfort out of a desire to conform his will to God’s.