"A brief observation of the first two days in Lent reveals militaristic, even violent imagery in the battle against sin and the unruly passions of the flesh. The Collect (opening prayer) of Ash Wednesday provides an image of troops mustering for battle. . . .
"'Battle,' 'weapons,' and 'armed' all clearly have military connotations, but so does the phrase 'campaign of Christian service' if we look at the Latin text: praesidia miltiae Christianae. The service or action (praesidia) is one of Christian battle or militancy (militiae). This refers to the Church Militant - the Church here on earth - waging war against sin and the kingdom of darkness."
In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish,
Washington, DC) reflected on how we are summoned to a battle that is engaged by the Church with special intensity during Lent.
To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:
Community in Mission: On The Battle Theme of Lent (18 FEB 21)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment