It was Mardi Gras – and the little Pizzeria was full of people chatting, enjoying Italian food, sipping wine or beer. But the main reason was an inspiring conversation they would have with Bishop Michael Mulvey about Lent.
Where does fasting come from? The bishop started his brief introduction by diving into history: The Council of Nicaea (325) defended the Catholic faith against the Aryan heresy, which claimed that Jesus was only human and chosen by God, not God’s son. The Council declared that Jesus is indeed “consubstantial” – human and divine. To honor that Jesus gave himself on a Friday, Christians started to refrain from eating meat on Fridays. Whatever penance or proposals you had chosen, Bishop Mulvey had promising news: “On Sundays, there is no penance.” This leads to the 40 days up to the Saturday before Easter.
On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the Church recommends one good meal and two light meals for those between 18 and 59. “But we should pay attention to the Spirit of the law, not taking the law to the letter,” the bishop said. Giving up a favorite candy bar to prove that we can do it won’t bring us closer to God.
Instead, silence could be a great way to live this Lent well: “We are bombarded with noise – TV, Internet, everything assaults us.” God’s question to Adam, “Where are you?” could be helpful to avoid hiding from God. “We need to be transparent – and not finding always somebody else to blame.” And the following question could be, “What does Jesus see in you?” And as a good Lenten practice, Bishop Mulvey recommended reading the daily Gospel.
In the following Q&A time, one young adult asked how to find time for prayer in our busy lives. “Take 5 minutes, even at work, and be quiet in front of God. Prayer is about being with the one I love.” Generally, one doesn’t need to recite more prayers but take time for intimate, personal prayer. He quoted one priest who was asked what he was doing every day during one hour of adoration and answered, “I don’t say anything – I look at Him, He looks at me…” – “Silence is something we abandoned.”
Another question was how to read the Gospels and which would be best to read during Lent. “Any Gospel can lead us to God,” so the bishop. As a method, he suggested using imagination, picturing the scene and what Jesus was doing. “I especially like the Gospel of John, which is more contemplative,” he added.
And lastly, what if we fail our Lenten proposals immediately – do we need to confess it? Bishop Mulvey said, “If it’s not a sin, there’s no need to confess.” Again, it’s about the spirit of the law – to grow closer to God and not give up if we fail.
Liz Morales and Miguel Salcedo thanked the bishop and everyone who came for the inspiring time together. Theology on Tap is organized by the Young Catholics Adults Group and the Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese, headed by Siobhan O'Connor.