Sacred Scripture
What outward signs did the people of Nineveh perform to show repentance?
The citizens, including the king, fasted and wore sackloth. (Jonah 3:4-10).
What posture does the priest assume at the beginning of the Good Friday Liturgy?
He is prostrated.
The word Lent derives its etymological origin from the Old English word for which season of the year?
Spring. Namely, Lent comes from the Old English word lencten, which referred to this season of the year (i.e. the lengthening of days).
Name the three pillars of Lent.
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
This saint publicly rebuked an Emperor and required him to perform public penance before readmission to the Eucharist.
St. Ambrose of Milan.
Which Old Testament figure fasted 40 days on Mount Horeb?
The Prophet Elias.
Which word is suppressed throughout Lent in the Liturgy of the Church?
The Alleluia.
Traditionally, in some countries, the word ''Alleluia'', written on a plaque or board, was physically removed from churches before Lent and sometimes burned or buried.
Which Church council first mentioned the observance of Lent?
The Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.)
This is the Greek term for the altering of one's life that results from spiritual conversion and penitence
Metanoia.
This Desert Father was one of the pioneers of early Christian monasticism, and he is known for his ascetic practices.
St. Anthony the Great, or St. Anthony of the Desert.
From which Old Testament book does Christ quote thrice during His temptation in the desert?
Deuteronomy.
Christ cites Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13, respectively.
The organ, whose use is mostly suppressed throughout Lent, may be used on this day in Lent.
Laetare Sunday, or the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
The GIRM states: ''In Lent the playing of the organ and musical instruments is allowed only in order to support the singing. Exceptions, however, are Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts.''
What is the Roman Station Church for Ash Wednesday?
The Church of Saint Sabina.
To this day, the faithful and Roman clergy process to the church, singing the Litany of Saints, after which Mass is celebrated. A different station church is designated for every day of Lent in Rome.
Name the three effects of fasting, as articulated by St. Thomas Aquinas.
Firstly, to combat concupiscence of the flesh.
Secondly, ''that the mind may arise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things.''
Thirdly, in satisfaction for our sins.
(S.T., II-II, Q.147, A.1).
Name three saints who received stigmata.
Any of: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Padre Pio, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Rita of Cascia, St. Gemma Galgani
What is the theological term for Christ's self-emptying, as described in Philippians 2?
Which sacramental oils are consecrated at the Chrism Mass, and what distinct liturgical purposes do they serve?
The bishop consecrates the Oil of the Sick for the Anointing of the Sick; the Oil of Catechumens for baptism; and, finally, the Sacred Chrism, which is used in Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
In the Byzantine Churches, the discipline of abstinence is more severe than that of the Western Church (currently). Name at least three food products/categories that they abstain from.
Meat, eggs, and dairy. Olive oil and wine are also abstained from in some traditions.
(The two weeks before Lent are called Meat Fare and Cheese Fare. It’s on those weeks that Byzantines finish eating those foods). While the practice of abstaining from meat, eggs, and dairy throughout the entire Great Fast--as it is known in the East--is not specifically required by Church law, it is what has been traditionally expected of all Byzantine Christians. As a minimum, they require fasting and abstaining from meat, eggs, and dairy on Clean Monday and Great and Holy Friday (Good Friday). Abstaining from meat is also required every Wednesday and Friday of Lent.
The transformation of the soul by sanctifying grace is not merely moral imitation of Christ but a real participation in the divine life itself; this teaching, emphasised particularly in Eastern Catholic theology is called what?
Theosis is the doctrine that through sanctifying grace the human person truly participates in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). It does not mean divinisation by essence, but sharing by grace in God’s life through union with Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
(See CCC 460).
''But the Son did not love the disciples in either of these ways. For he did not love them to the point of their being gods by nature, nor to the point that they would be united to God so as to form one person with him. But he did love them up to a similar point: he loved them to the extent that they would be gods by their participation in grace ‑ “I say, ‘You are gods’” (Ps 82:6); “He has granted to us precious and very great promises, that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4) ‑ and he loved them to the extent that they would be united to God in affection: “He who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Cor. 6:17); “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom 8:29). Thus the Father communicated to the Son a greater good, with respect to each nature of the Son, than the Son did to his disciples; yet there is a similarity, as was said. (Commentary on the Gospel of John, 1999)
This 19th century saint confessed by shouting his sins out in a confession heard by many, due to being unable to do so privately. He is known for his ministry on an island.
St. Damien of Molokai.
What are the 7 penitential psalms? Name them.
Psalm 6 Domine, ne in furore tuo
Psalm 31 (32) Beati quorum
Ps. 37 (38) Domine, ne in furore
Ps. 50 (51) Miserere
Ps. 101 (102) Domine, exaudi
Ps. 129 (130) De profundis
Ps. 142 (143) Domine, exaudi
What is the name of the minor exorcism prayed at Mass on the third, fourth, and fifth Sunday of Lent?
The Scrutiny. This rite for adults who wish to be baptised, known as the Elect, takes place after the homily.
Which religious order, in Medieval times, significantly promoted the practice of the Stations of the Cross?
The Franciscan Order.
What are the four wounds inflicted on human nature by original sin?
Weakness, ignorance, malice, and concupiscence.
(S.T., I-II, Q.85, A.3).
This 5th-century Syrian ascetic practiced incredible penitential discipline by living atop a pillar for decades.
St. Simeon Stylites.