Glasgow: Welcome to a Fun-Filled Lent!
Welcome to Lentfest!
As the season of Lent calls us to a sober and reflective assessment of our lives, at the same time the principal arts festival of the Archdiocese gets underway. That apparent contradiction is explained away by casting an eye over the many elements of this year’s programme. For they are, in truth, aids to living Lent well … the Stations of the Cross rediscovered; the great drama of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection interpreted through the new prism of music and visual art; a revisiting of the theme of redemption through drama and an opportunity to deepen our appreciation of the pontificates of two great Popes soon to be canonised (John XXIII and John Paul II) through film. Lentfest is about deepening our faith through the gift of the arts. We thank those whose work will open up for us new horizons, and pray that all who are touched by the events of the coming weeks will sense the call of the Lord to repentance and newness of life.
Just a few months ago Pope Francis summed up our hopes for this year’s Lentfest very well when he said: “In every age the Church has called upon the arts to give expression to the beauty of her faith and to proclaim the Gospel message of the grandeur of God’s creation, the dignity of human beings made in his image and likeness, and the power of Christ’s death and resurrection to bring redemption and rebirth to a world touched by the tragedy of sin and death.” “What are you doing for Lent?” is a question you might be asked over the next few weeks. While our practical resolutions may involve prayer, fasting and almsgiving, our ultimate goal should be to find and grow closer to God in our lives, and to love our neighbour more generously. My wish is that in attending some of the events of this year’s festival that search for God in your life and commitment to service may be intensified and given new impetus.
With every blessing on you and your family
+Philip Tartaglia
Archbishop of Glasgow
Comment:
“rediscovered; new; revisiting” … the same theme all the time. Everything has to be “new”, we have to “rediscover” and “revisit” every darn thing – even penance and fasting.
Is it really possible to make the message of prayer, penance and fasting more attractive through attending various entertainment shows? I can’t see it, but if you can, please explain…I’d love to be booking theatre tickets for the next six weeks as my Lenten penance, so I’m very open minded about this… 😀
Comments (31)
Hello Editor, this is appalling! I think interpreting the Passion through visual arts and music is downright disrespectful and Protestant. To me this seems more a distraction and a waste of the time that could have been put into prayer, a much better way of growing closer to God.
By the way, I’m a newcomer to the blog and can only get on when I’m allowed to after I’m finished my studies and piano!;) 😉
Fryderykfranciszekchopin
I agree – it is very disrespectful.
You sound young!
Welcome to the blog! 🙂
I see that Gabriel Syme has already welcomed you to our humble blog, fryderykfranciszekchopin – so all that remains to me is to say thank you for your introductory and most thoughtful comment.
You sound so like a Great-Niece of mine (student/pianist) that I texted her to ask if she were you – which she denies!
I hope you will stick around and tell us your thoughts on the various topics.
Unfortunately, because we are suffering a terrible crisis in the Church right now, we feel forced to criticise our priest, bishops and even the pope, but only because we love the Church and we know that the devil is attacking Holy Mother Church at the present time. It has all been foretold by Our Lady of Good Success and Our Lady of Fatima so it’s a good idea to educate yourself on the facts – feel free to ask any questions and between us we’ll try to help you in that work of learning what is causing the Church to be upside down right now.
In the meantime, a renewed welcome.
God bless
Thank you, Editor!
I’m familiar with the Fatima and Good Success apparitions.I even made the novena to Our Lady of Good Success! I didn’t know much about Garabandal or Medjugorje, but from what I’ve seen here I don’t think I want to know a lot about them! :/
I know that sometimes you have to criticise the things you love if you expect them to improve…my mother does it to me all the time. But I think the Church will probably improve before I do… 😯
I love the Church and I am very happy to learn more about what is going on. I have already learned a lot from this blog. Thank you!
fryderykfranciszekchopin,
You have the correct inclination about Garabandal and Medjugorje – they are both unapproved alleged apparitions, both condemned by the local bishop, who is the person with responsibility to pronounce on private apparitions and so we must obey his legitimate authority in the matter.
If we try to live the Message of Fatima and pray for the Pope to obey Our Lady and consecrate Russia, that is better than following all and any private (alleged) apparitions. Life is too short – especially when you get to my age 😀 (21…) ❗
I’m thinking of giving up religion for Lent.
That’s a good one!
Didn’t last long. First day of Lent and I went to Mass, I’m so weak! Lol.
Vianney,
I never knew you’d taken up religion. When was that then? 😀
Ah, I see from your next comment that you are a Catholic. That’s what I thought… ❗
Yes Editor, I’m a practising Catholic and one day I’ll be a perfect Catholic!
Vianney,
I believe you – after all, you’re a perfect nuisance already 😀
Editor, I see your Lenten resolution to be nice to people didn’t last long.
Nice-ER Vianney… nice-ER…
Everything is about lessening the solemnity and dignity of the true faith. What are they so afraid of? Anything that is serious.
They do this every year in Glasgow. It’s ridiculous. I think you are right – they are afraid of anything serious.
I liked this meditation for Lent online which others might appreciate too.
http://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2009/a-lenten-meditation.html
“Lent fest” seems a puerile and transparent attempt to “engage with youth” – and in doing so completely eclipses the spirit and meaning of the season of Lent.
Certainly there seems little restrained, mournful or reflective among the pictures of celebrations, concerts and parties on the AGAP website. These events apparently “enter into the Spirit of Lent”.
I had a brief look at the AGAP site and found this horror, in the Lenfest FAQ:
“There is no particular theme for 2014 except that events enter into the spirit of Lent. We hope that people of all backgrounds will join us in a festival which is an opportunity for dialogue and finding common ground with those of the Christian or Catholic faith.”
So apparently there is a distinction between Christianity and Catholicism now – you could not make this up!
This is exactly the kind of idiotic nonsense behind why the Archdiocese of Glasgow is currently proposing to close half of its current parishes, over the next 10-20 years.
That’s been going on for a while saying “Christian” – even “Catholic Christian”. It’s really terrible.
“Catholic Christian” really annoys me.
Its like saying “Fork Utensil” or “Water liquid”.
“Fork Utensil” or “Water liquid” are great examples of the silliness of saying “Catholic Christian”. Well said, Gabriel Syme.
This rubbish is obviously the fruit of the religion of man that replaced the religion of Christ at Vatican II. And just think of all the applause and idle chatter going on in front of the Blessed Sacrament, by people inappropriately dressed, who think they are in a concert hall or a movie theater rather than in Church. Hey, gimme a high five, Bishop Tartaglia, you’ve really gone the extra mile to shepherd your flock!
I think the theme of this sorry display should be “[Bleep] My Sheep.”
I found this Lenten Mission, I’m looking forward to listening and meditating on it. The introduction to these audio conferences says it all, about the difference between a Catholic Lent and the “Conciliar Church” Party-Lent:
“It has been the perennial practice of the Church to recommend meditation on the four last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. By focusing on our ultimate end, these meditations aid in purifying the soul and helping one to break free from attachments to the world.”
http://www.audiosancto.org/mission/FourLastThings
Great Pretender51,
Thank you for your link about the Four Last Things. I wonder many people meditate upon them – Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell. I will be listening to your link tout suite.
Another meditation I also think on is St. Leonard of Port Maurice on the little number who are saved.
http://www.olrl.org/snt_docs/fewness.shtml
Word press did it again….sorry Editor.
I think the idea of ‘celebrating’ Lent is ridiculous. And “Catholic Christian” is absurd!
Making light of Lent is another way of blurring the differences between the Catholic Church and Protestant denominations. If we are hell bent on losing our Catholic identity why don’t we follow the Orthodox Christians rather than the Protestant Christians when it comes to being creative over Lent??? 😀
Thank you, Gabriel Syme.:)
Josephine, yes, I’m still in school 😛
Jobstears, what fun would following the Orthodox be??? That would still mean fasting! And they observe Lent, they don’t celebrate it. As for me, I will keep Lent the Catholic way (not the Catholic Christian way!) and try to do what I have to without complaining;) 😯
I think Bishop Fulton Sheen’s videos are really solid so I thought this one on Confession would be very suitable for a thread on Lent:
Love the Fulton Sheen talks on video – will catch up with this one asap. Thanks for posting it.
Come on now you old foggies! Archbish Phil knows where it’s at! Lent, if you read any modern theology at all like groovy Fr Tim Radcliffe, is all about entertaining the mind, not disciplining the body, you sillies! 🙂
LOL !
Madame Editor,
Experiment. Please delete this post if church not shown (as opposed to link to church).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/121153307@N08/
Leprechaun,
Impressive – our little chapel is up there for all the world to see. Thank you for that. But who’s the “Howard himself” bloke?
Comments are closed.