Lent, Fasting and Penance

The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in several ways.  Scripture and the Church Fathers insist on three forms, which signify conversion (match each to best answer in the following 3 questions):

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* 1. In relation to God

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* 2. In relation to others

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* 3. In relation to ourselves

1-3)  The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in several ways.  Scripture and the Church Fathers insist on three forms, which signify conversion (match each to best answer):

The answers are:
  i.      In relation to God = Prayers
 ii.     In relation to others = Almsgiving
iii.    In relation to ourselves = Fasting

“The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms [which are external acts of penance], fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others. Alongside the radical purification brought about by Baptism or martyrdom they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: effort at reconciliation with one's neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the salvation of one's neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity ‘which covers a multitude of sins.’"  From the Catechism of the Catholic Church ¶1434

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* 4. The primary reason there are 40 penitential days in the liturgical season of Lent is because Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness praying and fasting as preparation for his public ministry.

4)  The primary reason there are 40 penitential days in the liturgical season of Lent is because Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness praying and fasting as preparation for his public ministry.   

The answer is:  True

“The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty days without eating; he lives among wild beasts, and angels minister to him. At the end of this time Satan tempts him three times, seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God. Jesus rebuffs these attacks, which recapitulate the temptations of Adam in Paradise and of Israel in the desert, and the devil leaves him ‘until an opportune time’. . . . By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert”.  From the Catechism of the Catholic Church ¶538 & 540b

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* 5. The Easter Triduum, from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday:

5)  The Easter Triduum, from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday:

Answer is:  All of the Above

“The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery.  The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil.  The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are:  Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday of the Lord's Passion, Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord.”

From http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/triduum/index.cfm

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* 6. Because the Second Vatican Council stressed God’s merciful love over our sense of guilt, the Church understood that we can routinely receive forgiveness directly from God without approaching the sacrament of Reconciliation.

6)  Because the Second Vatican Council stressed God’s merciful love over our sense of guilt, the Church understood that we can routinely receive forgiveness directly from God without approaching the sacrament of Reconciliation. 

The answer is:  False

“For the sacrament of confession is indeed being undermined, on the one hand by the obscuring of the mortal and religious conscience, the lessening of a sense of sin, the distortion of the concept of repentance and the lack of effort to live an authentically Christian life. And on the other hand, it is being undermined by the sometimes widespread idea that one can obtain forgiveness directly from God, even in a habitual way, without approaching the sacrament of reconciliation."  From the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation by Pope St. John Paul II on Reconciliation and Penance, December 2, 1984, ¶28

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* 7. The Church encourages frequent confession in order to grow closer to Christ Jesus and His Body, the Church.  What is the minimum requirement? 

7)  The Church encourages frequent confession in order to grow closer to Christ Jesus and His Body, the Church.  What is the minimum requirement? 

The answer is:  Annually 

“The Church sees confession as so important that she requires that every Catholic go at least once a year.   The Church also encourages frequent confession in order to grow closer to Christ Jesus and his Body, the Church. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, we seek forgiveness and repentance, let go of patterns of sin, grow in the life of virtue, and witness to a joyful conversion. Since the graces of the sacrament are so similar to the purpose of the New Evangelization, Pope Benedict XVI has said, ‘The New Evangelization . . . begins in the confessional!’” 

From USCCB flyer, A Pastoral Exhortation on the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation:  http://usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/penance/upload/Penance-Statement-ENG.pdf

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