Archbishop of Sydney

First Sunday in Lent

St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney
Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Rom 5:12-19; Mt 4:1-11

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
6 February 2005

This year, as always, continues to hurry by and we have now commenced another Lenten period of preparation for the great feast of Easter; that special few days when we remember that the only Son of God died to redeem us from our sins.

 For most of us, as regular Church goers, the danger is not that we shall take an explicit decision to ignore Lent, but that the weeks will pass us by that we will not get around to taking any decisions about what we will do beyond our normal routine.  We need to stop, think and decide to act.  Even an explicit decision not to do anything extra because we are already at full stretch is better than ignoring the challenge.  Such an explicit decision to do nothing would rarely be justified, but at least it is an explicit Lenten decision.  Those of us who are tempted to put things off, tempted regularly not to do today what we can put off until tomorrow, should be particularly wary lest Lent pass us by in the usual happy blur.

 Lent traditionally is a time for prayer, penance (fasting is the typical example at this time) and alms-giving i.e. giving to charity, all of these external practices are good in themselves, but they are geared to interior personal renewal under the general heading of “repent and believe”.  In other words Lent is a time when we strive to strengthen our faith and purify our moral life through repentance and good works.

 A comparatively easy way to increase our regular prayer is to decide to attend an extra weekly Mass during Lent.  Around the central business district of Sydney there are many lunch time Masses and that is certainly the case here at the Cathedral.  There are many other easy opportunities for some extra prayer e.g. extra time in quiet reflective prayer (often called meditation), or a slow and prayerful reading of a passage of scripture, or a daily rosary – or perhaps a decade together in the family every night.  Regular family prayer is a useful routine, perhaps immediately after the evening meal before the washing up and before people disappear in different directions to homework or television or a night out.

Penance has a number of useful consequences because it helps us to avoid becoming too soft and self-centred.  It also helps to strengthen our will, so that we can develop good habits and battle against temptation, as even Our Lord had to do (as we heard in today’s gospel).  Fasting from food and drink is a universal penitential tradition in all the great religions, although fasting for religious purposes is not fashionable today.  As I mention regularly fasting is popular in many middle class circles.  But these people usually do not fast for religious reasons.  They are dieting for the sake of their health so they might live longer!

The options for religious fasting are manifold.  Families can go without one course a meal, perhaps on Friday, and use the money saved for Project Compassion.  Many older Catholics have reduced their consumption of alcohol during Lent; some stop altogether, although we should be consoled by the teaching of one of the early Church councils that fasting was forbidden on each Sunday, because this is the Lord’s day celebrating His victory through His life, death and resurrection.  Children too are encouraged to give up lollies or chocolates or something they particularly enjoy during Lent.

Just last night a young Catholic primary school girl was telling me how she gave up potato chips in an earlier Lent.  She found it a great struggle, especially when some friends discovered what she was up to and teased her by passing their chips before her eyes and explaining how beautiful they were.  It is good that young children learn and practise these simple pieties, discuss them among themselves.  They are laying the foundation for good habits later.

All followers of Christ should not close their hearts, or their purses, to those who are suffering, those whose living standards are much less than our own.

As always we commend Project Compassion, the Lenten giving programme of Caritas Australia for relief and development overseas, which last year collected $16,400,000 from Australian Catholic parishes.  You all know that Caritas Australia organized a special tsunami appeal, which at this moment stands at about $15,500,000.  This is a wonderful result, a tribute to Australian Catholic compassion and generosity.  I urge you as followers of Christ, especially at this time of Lenten preparation, to continue to be generous.

A word of warning.  The Old Testament prophets and Christian spiritual writers have traditionally warned against extrinsicism; putting on a show, going through the motions while not worrying about our heart of hearts, the spiritual struggle towards faith and goodness which is waged in every individual heart.  One danger in ancient times was that a person or family would sacrifice a splendid animal and leave it at that.  Today a temptation could be to write out a decent cheque for Caritas (which I hope you all do) and forget the rest (which I hope none of you do).  Generosity to the poor and especially work for the poor are good in themselves, and often inspired by Christian faith, but they are no substitute for faith in Jesus and the Catholic tradition, no substitute for the internal struggle to follow Christ.

Lent is also a special time for going to confession, for receiving absolution in the sacrament of penance.  The gospel today shows Jesus himself tempted by the prospect of power, to be arrogant and careless, to materialism.  He did not fall into sin, but we do, all of us, in some way or other.  The sacrament of penance, administered one to one by the priest with all the spiritual and psychological healing this can bring, is one of the most wonderful gifts the Catholic Church has to offer.  We would be foolish not to go to confession.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.