As the Cycle of Christmas comes to a close this month, we begin to meditate upon the sufferings of Our Blessed Lord. The second part of the traditional liturgical year begins with Septuagesima on Sunday, the 16th. The Cycle of Easter extends until the next Church year, the beginning of Advent. This is when we contemplate the Mystery of the Redemption, through Septuagesima, Lent, Passiontide, Easter Time and Time after Pentecost. So bringing to mind the Passion, after celebrating the joyful Christmas Season, is most appropriate this month.
Let us seek to observe a holy Septuagesima, when we prepare for Lent. Why do this? There is a lot of very good commentary out there on Septuagesima, which goes into it much deeper than we do here. One thing we can do is educate ourselves more on this forgotten liturgical season. But to answer the question, it is best to enter Lent spiritually and practically prepared. This takes some time and prayer. Certainly, Septuagesima would be a time for the Sacrament of Penance. Meditating upon the Passion will be most productive if we are putting the spiritual life first. You will find that a good observance of this pre-Lenten time will be immensely rewarding!
If we merge Septuagesima with our contemplation of the Passion, it really starts out strong with the Introit of the first Sunday Mass…
“The groans of death surrounded me, the sorrows of hell encompassed me.”
We’re not in the Christmas Season anymore. But we know that baby in His Mother’s arms, honored by the Magi, came to suffer and die for our sins. And there is no Resurrection without the Cross. No joy without tears. It is time now for us to walk the Via Dolorosa with Our Lady and Our Lord, to our Heavenly reward. The words above are those of one crying out to God, but they could just as easily be the words of Our Lord Himself as He walked that walk.
During the first 2 weeks of Septuagesima, we honor 3 Apostles: Saint Simeon’s feast (Simon the Zealot) is the 18th, the Chair of Saint Peter is the 22nd and Saint Matthias’ feast is the 24th. As for Simeon, there is no scripture directly associating him with the Passion, but, he was of course present at the Last Supper. From the Mass of Saint Simeon, our sins are likened to a “weight,” calling to mind the weight of the Cross, which our Lord carried for these sins:
“Look mercifully, almighty God, upon our weakness, and because the weight of our own deeds presses upon us, may the glorious intercession of Saint Simeon, Thy martyr and bishop, be our protection.”
The feast of the “Chair of Saint Peter” refers to a great relic which symbolizes the papacy. As such, we are indeed honoring the glorious Saint Peter. From Matthew 16:18…
“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Simon Peter was intimately linked to the events of the Passion. Luke describes his following in the distance, his denial, the glance with Our Lord, and Peter’s weeping (Luke 22:54-62). During this time before Lent, let us flee to St. Peter’s intercession for a good examination of conscience and to see the ways in which we ourselves, deny the will of God. Saint Peter, pray for Holy Church at this time!
From EWTN VATICAN, 11/17/24…
Rare Vatican Relic on Display:
The Story Behind St. Peter’s Chair
(Includes a wonderful video of the Chair at the Vatican.)
Excerpt:
This historic wooden throne, known as the Cathedra Sancti Petri, holds immense spiritual and historical significance, symbolizing the authority and mission of the papacy…Scholars have studied the chair extensively over the years, revealing that its oldest components date as far back as the 6th century…Each year, on February 22nd, we celebrate the Feast of the Cathedra Sancti Petri, the “Chair” of Peter…“It can be presumed,” [Prof. Francesco Buranelli] continued, “that it was used as the papal throne until the 1600s”…The Cathedra Sancti Petri, a profound symbol of the unbroken line of succession from St. Peter…was last displayed publicly in 1867 to mark the 1800th anniversary of St. Peter’s martyrdom…In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI described the Chair as “a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his successors to shepherd Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and charity.”
Saint Matthias would never have become associated with the 12 Apostles, if Judas had not betrayed Jesus. Matthias was faithful to Our Savior, even unto death. From the old Catholic Encyclopedia:
Matthias was one of the seventy disciples of Jesus, and had been with Him from His baptism by John to the Ascension. It is related (Acts 1:15-26) that in the days following the Ascension, Peter proposed to the assembled brethren, who numbered one hundred and twenty, that they choose one to fill the place of the traitor Judas in the Apostolate. Two disciples, Joseph, called Barsabas, and Matthias were selected, and lots were drawn, with the result in favour of Matthias.
Moving on with Septuagesima through the lens of the Passion, Quinquagesima Sunday, March 2nd, includes the Gospel account of Our Lord foretelling his arrest and death:
Luke 18:31-43
Other notable feasts of February from the trad and new calendars:
2nd-Presentation of the Lord/Purification of the BVM/Candlemas
3rd-Saint Blaise, Blessing of Throats
6th-Saint Titus, Companion of Saint Paul, Bishop
11th-Our Lady of Lourdes
14th-Saint Valentine
23rd-Sexagesima Sunday
Homeschool Activities This Month
1) List 5 ways we can prepare for Lent.
2) Write a short essay on the history of the Chair of Saint Peter (handwrite in cursive).
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