Catholics throughout the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown are getting ready for the season of Lent – a 40-day period beginning on Ash Wednesday during which the faithful are invited to grow closer to the Lord through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Once again this year, Proclaim! is inviting parishioners to have a LIFE-CHANGING LENT. Father Brian Norris, Pastor of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish in Altoona, joined Proclaim! Editor Tony DeGol for a fish lunch at the Knickerbocker in Altoona to discuss the sacred season of Lent and the opportunity it presents for spiritual growth.
TONY: Lent is around the corner, Father, and it’s great to sit down with you to help local Catholics get ready. I often say that just like a new year is a time to re-evaluate one’s life and make positive changes, the season of Lent gives us that same opportunity in our spiritual lives. How can we make the most of this upcoming Lenten season?
FATHER NORRIS: When I was in Seminary, we had a tradition of placing a large copy of the painting “Christ in the Desert” by Ivan Kramskoi in the entrance to the chapel. That paining was a constant reminder of why we were participating in Lent, to join in Jesus’ 40 days of prayer and fasting. I think that is an important thing to remember – Christ leads us into the desert and asks us to fast, pray, and give alms so that we can focus more on our relationship with Jesus.
I think Lent is a time to evaluate our lives to see which habits, hobbies, and attachments get in the way of prayer and a deeper relationship with Christ. It is an excellent idea to take that to prayer and ask Jesus to show us what we should give up. For example, substituting half an hour of time that one would normally spend watching TV or scrolling on a tablet/computer with reading a chapter of the Gospels and praying with that chapter.
TONY: The three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Explain how each of those can lead us to more fulfillment as we prepare for Easter and beyond.
FATHER NORRIS: Fasting is meant to help us overcome attachments to bodily pleasures. It is a reminder of the great line from the Bible that Jesus quotes during the Temptation in the Desert: “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4 quoting Dt 8:3). Physical pleasure is not the ultimate good in life, despite what our culture says. The typical practice of giving up sweets can remind us that we are stronger than our desire to indulge in sweets. The wisdom of the Church is that if we can control our belly, with the grace of God, we can control our other physical and emotional impulses as well. Fasting can also be giving up a luxury like the morning Starbucks, and instead drinking a cup of coffee brewed at home. The money that you do not spend on coffee could then be placed in a CRS Rice Bowl or given to another charity tying the fasting to almsgiving.
The discipline of prayer is our way of walking with Jesus through the third temptation in the desert, where the devil encourages Jesus to throw himself off of a tower to show Jesus’ exalted status and power as the angels catch him. Prayer is an antidote to pride and vainglory, two very big temptations in our social media culture. Despite what we may be tempted to believe, not a single person on this earth, including you or me, is the center of the universe. So many people live life as if they can do it all on their own and so it is easy for them to forget prayer, Sunday Mass, or any thought of God in their life. That is pride in a subtle and sneaky form. For many people it is only in moments of trial or sickness that they recognize God’s power and cry out for relief because they come face to face with their own powerlessness. When we have a daily habit of prayer, we allow ourselves to be constantly reminded that God is always the power behind our actions and the giver of our talents. Prayer teaches us that God is the most important person in the world, for he is the giver of all good gifts including our lives, our families, and the many other blessings we possess. Prayer is vital in Lent, because we hardheaded sinners need this time to remind ourselves that God is God, and we are not.
Almsgiving flows from prayer. Just as we receive all of our blessings from God, we are called to bless those who are less fortunate from our possessions. God delights in humans participating in his plan of blessing and providing for other people. When we give alms, we are God’s helpers participating in blessing others in the world who are in need. There’s a great line in the series “The Search” from the Augustine institute where the host Chris Stafanick asks the question of the skeptic: “if there is a God why does he allow children to starve across the world?” Chris looks at the camera and says: “I think God is looking back at us and asking us the same question!” To the extent that we are able to do it financially, God asks us to bless those who have less than us. He gives us the opportunity to solve the poverty and needs of others to become like Jesus who in the incarnation “became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9).
TONY: When most people think of Lent, they usually think of giving up something like candy or other indulgences that seem to have a hold on us. What is the value of that sacrifice?
FATHER NORRIS: When I was in college, I had a professor who was Eastern Orthodox. The Orthodox know how to fast! They go vegan for almost all of Lent abstaining from all animal (and fish) meat as well as animal products like dairy. Likewise, our Muslim brothers and sisters also know how to fast, they give up all food from sunrise to sunset for a month! I think we can learn a lot from these two groups as Catholics, myself included, because we so often go with very small penances in comparison to their extreme fasting.
My advice to anyone thinking about what to give up for Lent is to take a moment to reflect on what distracts them from prayer or service for others. When I am asked to wash the dishes what do I want to do instead? When I think to myself, boy I haven’t prayed in a while maybe I should, what do I end up doing instead. So often when we neglect prayer or service to others it is because “I’d rather be doing X.” Whatever that X is would be a great thing to give up during Lent because it is likely a distraction or indulgence that has an inordinate hold on us. like TV, YouTube, social media, a cell phone, Video Games, Podcasts etc…
TONY: But besides giving up something we love, Lent is also about doing something, which is just as powerful. Elaborate on that.
FATHER NORRIS: Fasting from something that distracts us from God is meant to open up time for God. I can remember giving up Xbox as a junior in high school and being so terribly bored. It was awful, but that was one of the most spiritually rich Lents I have had! That Lent helped me to start a habit of praying a daily rosary. Additionally, I read Thomas Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain and Saint Augustine’s Confessions which helped me with discerning the priesthood. I think we as Catholics should really challenge ourselves with bigger fast, from food or from the abundant distractions in life, and then rely on the grace of God in prayer to sustain us through the fast and more importantly draw us closer to Him through the fasting.
Be open to a challenging Lent because Christ is with us in our fasting and in the struggle, we can learn to rely on Him. Additionally, succeeding in a challenging Lent shows us that with the grace of God we can overcome any adversity or challenge in life.
TONY: Lent is a penitential season, a time during which we especially encourage Catholics to seek the Lord’s healing mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Why is that so important, and what advice do you have for those who have been away from the sacrament for a while and may be struggling to return?
FATHER NORRIS: I was recently reading Cardinal Dolan’s book Priests for the Third Millenium, and Cardinal Dolan writes in the book that “I never feel more a priest than when hearing confessions.” I completely agree with him. There is nothing like seeing a penitent’s relief and peace when they receive the mercy and forgiveness of Christ. Even before I was a priest, I always loved the Sacrament of Reconciliation even if it was awkward or nerve-wracking to admit my faults.
My advice to all Catholics is to go to confession at least once during Lent because this is a time for spiritual growth. Spiritual growth, like all growth in life, begins with admitting our faults and weaknesses because that action allows us to see where we need to grow.
For anyone who has not gone to confession in a while, I would recommend reading the parable of the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke chapter 15 verses 11-32. The mercy the father shows to each son is the mercy we encounter in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Priests aren’t in the confessional to yell at you or to condemn you, priests are waiting in the confessional to give you the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Don’t let doubts, nerves, or fear keep you from receiving the forgiveness of Christ that can transform your life.
TONY: I think during Lent, more than any other time of the year, most Catholics feel a yearning to do something above and beyond their normal routine, such as attending daily Mass or reading Scripture, but they can easily lose their focus and become discouraged. What suggestions do you have for your parishioners and others to realistically increase their spiritual engagement during Lent?
FATHER NORRIS: Do something manageable. Set a goal of reading one spiritual book or attending one additional Mass per week. If you meet that small goal, then you feel great and you gave God more time. If you make two additional Masses per week or read two spiritual books, then that is even better because you exceeded your goal. If we honestly look at the screentime tracker on our cell phones or calculate how much time we spend in front of screens, we all have down time that we could use to go to an additional daily Mass, read scripture for 15 minutes, to pray a Rosary etc. Give God some extra time and watch how He changes your life.
TONY: So, we’re here enjoying a fish lunch, and that’s appropriate since fish and other meatless meals are a part of the Lenten journey. Your parish of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in Altoona is one of many parishes in our diocese that host Friday fish dinners during Lent. The gatherings are hugely popular. Tell us about your dinners and why they are such a beloved tradition.
FATHER NORRIS: I think Lenten Fish Fries are so popular for two reasons. First, they are a great opportunity for community in our parishes. People from all the different Masses get a chance to see each other either while they work the fish fry or when they sit down to eat. Second, the fish dinners are relatively inexpensive, and folks don’t have to stink up their kitchens by cooking fish at home!
TONY: Well, I look forward to hopefully stopping by your parish for fish, but most importantly, I wish you a blessed and renewing Lent, and I thank you for joining me for lunch and conversation.
FATHER NORRIS: Thanks, Tony, and I hope all Catholics make the most of this Lenten season.
