Since September, this country-and, indeed, the world-have been experiencing a kind of secular Lent. Many are engaged in an involuntary fast, without sufficient food or, at least without real certainty as to where their next meal will come from. Many are unemployed or face unemployment, with the result that demands on charitable organizations have increased while their own resources have diminished. Hence the number of pleas for almsgiving has multiplied. And we could argue that many heartfelt prayers may have been poured out to God for help in these difficult economic times.

We might be forgiven if we were to think that Lent is somehow redundant this year.

But it's not.

The disciplines of Lent-fasting, prayer and almsgiving-are rooted in the Paschal Mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. They are motivated by a deep desire to draw closer to the Crucified and Risen Lord as we prepare to celebrate his dying and rising. They are impelled by a desire to accompany our catechumens to the font of baptism by sharing in the disciplines that are first and foremost theirs as they enter into the proximate period of preparation, the 40 days of Lent, for the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) at the Easter Vigil.

Unbaptized catechumens fast from food during Lent as a symbol of their willingness to abstain from sin in their new lives as Christians. We who are already baptized join in the penitential discipline of fasting to show our remorse for the continued presence of sin in our lives. We have no excuse for continuing to sin after we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and born from above through water and the Holy Spirit. But we recognize that we have failed to live out the grace of our baptism and stand in continual need of ongoing conversion. We give proof of that recognition by undertaking, with the catechumens, the very moderate discipline of fast and abstinence required by the Church (fasting from large meals and from snacks on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstaining from meat on those days and on the Fridays of Lent), by giving more to others who are in need (almsgiving) and by more fervent prayer to God, offering not just prayers of petition for ourselves and others, but above all prayers of thanks and praise to the God who is love.

No matter how much our "hungers" have increased during the economic crisis, most of us can well afford to eat a bit less, not just on the prescribed days, but giving up some favorite food or drink in solidarity with our catechumens and with the poor. The current discipline of the church obliges all who have reached their 14th birthdays to the law of abstinence (no meat) on Ash Wednesday, on all Fridays of Lent and on Good Friday. Those between the ages of 18 and 59 are also bound by the law of fasting, limiting oneself to one full meal a day on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be eaten, but together these should not equal another full meal. Between meals, only liquids may be taken.

By saving money on food, we can afford to give a bit more in charity. This is the rationale behind Operation Rice Bowl, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services. By placing what we save on food during Lent and placing the money in the cardboard "rice bowls" available in most parishes, we can accumulate a surprising amount of money to help feed the hungry around the world. Among other opportunities for "giving alms" are the special collections associated with Lent: the collections for Eastern Europe (Ash Wednesday, February 25), Catholic Relief Services (March 22) and the Holy Places in Palestine (Good Friday, April 10).

A time of economic malaise is often a time of spiritual unease, but could be a time of spiritual growth. This Lent would be a good time to discover again the richness of our Catholic tradition of prayer. In our tradition, prayer begins with hearing or reading the Word of God, particularly as it comes to us in the Scriptures. Meditating on the Word that we have heard or read as it speaks to our lives follows naturally. Then and only then to we respond by "speaking" to God, in praise and thanksgiving and, finally, in petition. Hearing or reading the Word of God, meditation and oratio can prepare us to receive the gift of contemplation, the grace of perceiving the presence of God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit-in our lives. The Church's greatest act of prayer is the celebration of God's Word and Christ's Eucharist in the Mass. The Sundays of Lent are particularly rich in their readings and prayers. The many traditional practices associated with Lent, such as making the Stations of the Cross, can be effective means of praying.

Is Lent redundant this year? For as long as we discern in our lives the need for continual conversion, we need the discipline of fasting. For as long as others are hungry and thirsty, lacking basic clothing and shelter, we need to give generously, even-and especially-when it hurts. For as long as God is great and highly to be praised must we praise him. As long as he remains the Giver of all good gifts, we must thank him and turn to him in our need.

-DKC