Saint Martin's Lent 2014

November 9th is the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
in Rome. This is actually a sad day for Us, because this is Our basilica as Bishop of
Rome. For a thousand years from the end of the persecutions to the Protestant Revolt the
Popes lives in the Lateran Palace with some notable exceptions in history. One of these
is called in history the Babylonian Captivity, when for seventy years the Popes lived in
Avignon in France rather at home in Rome. Today We live in exile in the New World,
which has only been visited by one Pope prior to his election. Cardinal Pacelli visited
prior to his election as Pope Pius XII in his function as Secretary of State of the Vatican
City State.
And Jesus said to them: Can the children of the bridegroom mourn, as long as
the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be
taken away from them, and then they shall fast. (Matthew 9:15) The Bridegroom is
away and the Church is at the end of the worst crisis in history. And so we should fast
and pray for an end to the Great Apostasy.

Saint Martin's Lent

November 11th is the Feast of Saint Martin. This feast is about forty days before
the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Martin's Lent obtains its name
from the custom of some Catholics to fast before Christmas just as we fast before Easter
in Lent.
There are two types of fast. The first are those fasts, which oblige us under the
Laws of the Church. And these are of several kinds. First there is the customary
abstinence from meat on Fridays, which goes back to Apostolic times. The only
exception is when a Holyday of Obligation falls on a Friday, such as All Saints Day or
the Immaculate Conception. The second are the days of fast, which occur in Lent, on the
Ember Days and several vigils throughout the year. The Ember Days and some vigils
also come with partial abstinence and a few vigils require complete abstinence. When we
fast and abstain on these days in obedience to the Church we combine the virtues of
penance and obedience in a single act. The Church has prescribed a minimum of fasting,
because if she didn't some might not fast at all.
As sincere Catholics we should look at her laws in the areas of fasting and
abstinence as minimums, which we should exceed on occasion. And thus sincere
Catholics will observe voluntary fasts and/or penances on certain occasions as a form of
penance and mortification. Saint Paul wrote: But I chastise my body, and bring it into
subjection: lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a
castaway. (I Corinthians 9:27) Voluntary penance is very useful for the soul. And so
We would like to recommend that all consider some form of voluntary penance.
Some penance in Saint Martin's Lent is one possibility. All should consider their
own duties and select a penance accordingly.

Advent
On November 30th we begin the Ecclesiastical Year on the First Sunday of
Advent. For many centuries Advent was a time of obligatory fasting similar to Lent as a
preparation for Christmas. The law of fast for Advent has been dropped over a century
ago, but Advent remains a time of penitential preparation for Christmas. We should
observe it in such a manner. In fact, there is a lesson in this for us. In the United States
the celebration of Christmas begins on the day after Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas.
After Christmas becomes a time of mourning, when it should be a time of celebration.
This inverted way of living leads to many problems in people's lives. By preparing by
fasting, penance and prayer, when we arrive at the feast we are prepared to celebrate with
the Church. Let us put off the Christmas decorations until after First Vespers on
Christmas Eve and then leave them up throughout the Christmas season.

Fasting on Saturdays
Saint Alphonsus among others recommends the practice of fasting on Saturdays
in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is another practice to consider, if duty will
allow.

From The Glories of Mary

by Saint Alphonsus
Many servants of Mary, on Saturdays and the vigils of her feast, are accustomed
to honor her by fasting on bread and water. It is well known that Saturday is a day
dedicated by the holy Church to the honor of the Virgin, because on this day, says St.
Bernard, she remained constant in the faith after the death of her Son.
For this reason the servants of Mary never fail on this day to offer her some
special homage; and particularly the fast on bread and water, as St. Charles Borromeo,
Cardinal Toledo, and so many others practised it. Rittard, Bishop of Bamberg, and Father
Joseph Arriaga, of the Society of Jesus, did not even taste food on Saturday. The great
graces which the mother of God afterwards bestowed upon those who practised this
devotion, may be read in the writings of Father Auriemma. It is sufficient for us to
mention the compassion which she showed to that bandit chief, who on account of this
devotion, was permitted to remain alive, although his head had been cut off, and although
he was under the displeasure of God, and was enabled to make his confession before
dying. He afterwards declared that the holy virgin, for this fasting which he had offered
her, had preserved him in life, and he then suddenly expired. It would not then be a very
extraordinary thing, if any one, especially devoted to Mary, and particularly if he had
already deserved hell, should offer to her this fast on Saturday. He who practises this
devotion, I may say, will hardly be condemned; not that our Lady will deliver him by a
miracle if he dies in mortal sin, as happened to the bandit; such prodigies of divine mercy
seldom take place, and it would be madness to expect eternal salvation by them. But I do
say that the divine mother will readily obtain perseverance and divine grace and a good
death for him who will practise this devotion. All the brothers of our little congregation
who can do so, fast on bread and water on Saturday, in honor of Mary. I say those who
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can do so, meaning, that if any one is prevented from doing so on account of ill health, at
least on Saturday, he may content himself with one dish, make a common fast, or at least
abstain from fruits or other agreeable food. It is necessary on Saturday to offer special
devotions to our Lady, to receive communion, or, at least, hear mass, visit some image of
the Virgin, wear hair-cloth, and the like. And at least on the vigils of the seven feasts of
Mary, let her servants endeavor to offer this fasting on bread, or in any other manner they
are able.

Seven Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary

These are:
1. The Immaculate Conception, December 8th
2. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8th
3. The Presentation of Mary, November 21st
4. The Annunciation, March 25th
5. The Visitation, July 2nd
6. The Purification, February 2nd
7. The Assumption, August 15th

Conclusion
Speaking of some Devils, Jesus tells us: But this kind is not cast out but by
prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:20) And Saint Paul reminds us: For our wrestling is
not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the
world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.) (Ephesians
6:12) Our fight is not against other people, but against The Enemy of our souls, the
Devil. And so let us arm ourselves in this fight. Let us look at our lives and adopt some
form of voluntary penance in addition to what is required by Church Law.
To demonstrate how the Church Law on fasting has eased over the last few
centuries, We have reproduced an article from The Catholic Encyclopedia below. To
recommend a bit more penance is not out of order. Some might ask why We do not
instead amend the law and make it stronger. We know that these concessions came
about, because of the weakness of people, a weakness that remains until today. Therefore
We recommend voluntary additions to the minimums required by the Church by those
who are able and in a manner that will preserve their health so they can discharge their
duties to God, their fellow man and themselves.

The Black Fast

From The Catholic Encyclopedia
This form of fasting, the most rigorous in the history of church legislation, was
marked by austerity regarding the quantity and quality of food permitted on fasting days
as well as the time wherein such food might be legitimately taken.
In the first place more than one meal was strictly prohibited. At this meal flesh
meat, eggs, butter, cheese, and milk were interdicted (Gregory I, Decretals IV, cap. vi;
Trullan Synod, Canon 56). Besides these restrictions abstinence from wine, specially
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during Lent, was enjoined (Thomassin, Trait des jenes de l'glise, II, vii). Furthermore,
during Holy Week the fare consisted of bread, salt, herbs, and water (Laymann,
Theologia Moralis, Tr. VIII; De observatione jejuniorum, i). Finally, this meal was not
allowed until sunset. St. Ambrose (De Elia et jejunio, sermo vii, in Psalm CXVIII), St.
Chrysostom (Homil. iv in Genesim), St. Basil (Oratio i, De jejunio) furnish unequivocal
testimony concerning the three characteristics of the black fast. The keynote of their
teaching is sounded by St. Bernard (Sermo. iii, no. 1, De Quadragesima), when he says
"hitherto we have fasted only until none" (3 p.m.) "whereas, now" (during Lent) "kings
and princes, clergy and laity, rich and poor will fast until evening". It is quite certain that
the days of Lent (Muller, Theologia Moralis, II, Lib. II, Tr. ii, sect. 165, no. 11) as well as
those preceding ordination were marked by the black fast. This regime continued until the
tenth century when the custom of taking the only meal of the day at three o'clock was
introduced (Thomassin, loc. cit.). In the fourteenth century the hour of taking this meal
was changed to noon-day (Muller, loc. cit.). Shortly afterwards the practice of taking a
collation in the evening began to gain ground (Thomassin, op. cit., II, xi). Finally, the
custom of taking a crust of bread and some coffee in the morning was introduced in the
early part of the nineteenth century. During the past fifty years, owing to ever changing
circumstances of time and place, the Church has gradually relaxed the severity of
penitential requirements, so that now little more than a vestige of former rigour obtains.