It's now the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. My favourite term for this day is not the jovial terms of Pancake Day or Mardi Gras, but Shrove Tuesday. Why? Because to be shriven is a beautiful thing.

Based on yesterday's unexpected news, this Lent is set to be a particularly interesting one. The next Urbi et Orbi blessing that the faithful can receive at the end of Lent will be from a new Pope.

I think one of the best things we can do this Lent is to offer our penances and sacrifices for the cardinal electors and the new Pope, that he may be a faithful guardian of the Church's teaching and an image of Christ to the world. Naturally, we can offer our penances for other things, but the issue of the new Pope will be one that shapes the Church and the world. It will affect our daily lives in some way. Just think of what our current dear Pope has achieved within almost eight years. The Mass of Blessed John XIII is a lot more available. We have Youcat. The Year of Faith. Tighter rules on reporting child abuse. A Pontifical Academy for Latin.

On the other hand, Lent can help put things into perspective. Through prayer, we can gain reassurance that the Holy Spirit is in charge of all things and we should not be too afraid of what is to come. Even if the future is to bring great difficulties, if God is for us, who can be against?

Here is a good article on the importance of Lent.

And here is the collect from the Roman Missal for the election of a Pope. It might be a good idea to pray this in place of Pope Benedict's intentions for March (what happens with those and indulgences during sede vacante anyway??*):

O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

*Update: Fr Zuhlsdorf has an answer to this and it seems as though we should continue to pray for the intentions in March. So pray the prayer above in addition to the intentions for March. Et sequitur that the normal conditions for indulgences apply too. 

Am I my brother's keeper? (Gen 4:9)

In the reading at Mass today, from Leviticus, we are told,

"You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself." (Lv 19:17)

If, therefore, we know someone who willingly missed Mass the week before, should we tell them not to receive communion until they have gone to confession?
This is hard, because often the person doesn't want to know. It could make people angry. Yet fraternal correction is taught, as Jesus Himself says,

"If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother." (Mt 18:15)

 According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, we only take the sin of another upon ourselves when we neglect to admonish the other under the following conditions:

• the delinquency to be corrected or prevented is a grievous one;
• there is no good reason to believe that the sinner will adequately provide for himself;
• there is a well-founded expectation that the admonition will be heeded;
• there is no one else just as well fitted for this work of Christian charity and likely to undertake it;
• there is no special trouble or disadvantage accruing to the reformer as a result of his zeal.

 Admonishing the sinner is a spiritual work of mercy which, alongside the corporal works of mercy, are the ways in which we bring Christ to others and recognise Christ in others. Those who fail in these forms of almsgiving receive the judgement of Christ, as today's Gospel tells us:

"He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.” " (Mt 25:45-46)

Christ in Majesty, in Angers Cathedral

Confiteor

Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus sanctis, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere; mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Et ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, et omnes sanctos, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.

Confession in Heidelberg

Last night I went to Confession for the first time here in Germany. I had been really frustrated, however, because there seems to be only one hour of confession time a week offered here in the whole of Heidelberg. It was at St Anna's, where they were also holding Eucharistic adoration. Offering Confession at the same time as adoration is a very good idea, as when we are confronted with God, He helps us in our preparation before confession and then after Confession, we can say our thanksgiving before Him Who has just forgiven us.
This same Church also offers the Extraordinary Form of the Mass on Sunday evenings, which doesn't surprise me. Generally, if a Church offers Adoration time, they're more likely to offer the EF too (and this Church also seems to be the only one offering Confession regularly as well).
St Anna's is part of the Heiliggeistgemeinde, or Holy Spirit Parish, which also includes the famous Jesuitenkirche. The Jesuitenkirche played a fair role during the reformation, and although it is now the main church in Heiliggeistgemeinde, the Heiliggeistkirche used to be part of this Gemeinde too, before it was captured, recaptured, split in two (by a partition wall, not structurally!) and then finally given over to the Protestants (the church is evangelisch, which would be better translated as protestant rather than evangelical, as the latter is evangelikal. Furthermore, the Evangelical Church of Germany is a mixed bag of Lutheran, Anglican and Reformed churches, so I would need to go to a service to find out which exact denomination it is, or do a little more research). More to come, such as photos!