A Lenten Confession

"Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ - his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection." [1]

Lent began last Wednesday for most Roman Catholics.  The disciplined ones went to church and had ashes in the shape of a cross placed on their foreheads.  I consciously skipped it.  I did so because I would invariably fail to sacrifice anything during Lent.  I also find it rather silly to make a sacrifice for 40 days and then go back to normal the rest of the year.

Here are my questions:

1. If fasting and repenting during Lent is to remind oneself of Christ's sacrifice, then is it unimportant or unnecessary to reflect on the meaning of Christ's suffering outside of this period when one is free to indulge in all kinds of uninhibited consumption, and all sorts of addictions and sinning?

2. If what one does during Lent in one year is carried over to the rest of the year, year after year, then after a number of years, would everyone who observes Lent annually be a saint like San Francesco d'Assisi or Santa Chiara d'Assisi?

3. What sacrifice has this pope made during Lent this year?  He did not say.  Was he afraid to tell?  Why should it be a secret?  Is it because of humility or is he afraid of hypocrisy?  Let us assume that his sacrifice is repentance, and that he repents and tells the whole Truth for 40 days, what happens after Lent?  Does he revert back to his sinful ways?  If he does not need to repent anything during Lent, is he sinless?

4.  Last year, this pope washed and kissed the feet of inmates who were minors on Holy Thursday [2], [3].  As a sign of true humility, will he ever kneel before his predecessor Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI and wash and kiss his feet?  Will this pope kneel before his cardinals [4] and wash and kiss their feet too?




[1] http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/whatislent.htm
[2] http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1301429.htm
[3] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/pope-francis-female-foot-wash-upsets-traditionalists-article-1.1303260
[4] I would like to see this pope wash and kiss the feet of the some of the Cardinals on the short list to be pope after Pope Benedict XVI retired, like the feet of Cardinal Angelo Scola (Italian), the feet of Cardinal Peter Turkson (African), the feet of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith (Sri Lankan), the feet of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippino), the feet of Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco (Italian) and the feet of Cardinal Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduran).  See the complete short list at http://www.ktvb.com/news/196893931.html.  And one must not forget also the feet of Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone (Italian), even though Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was not on the referenced short list.  I named some of the Cardinals whose feet ought to be washed and kissed by this pope because of their diversity and other Cardinals whose feet also ought to be washed and kissed by this pope because of their possibly "not-so-close" relationship with this pope (I believe that familiarity breeds contempt).  Washing and kissing the feet of these "mature" male Cardinals would really show this pope's true humility, would it not?  Or show his real self if he chooses again to wash and kiss the feet of young women who are minors?