A Lenten Mystery

Columns

February 29, 2016 Issue

James Martin, S.J.

There are many mysteries in the Catholic faith.

Some of the less profound, and perhaps even mildly amusing ones, are the conundrums that I ponder every year during Lent: First, why is there so little time between the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Lent? In some years, like 2016, it seems as if Jesus’ hair is hardly dry from his baptism when we start to think about the end of his life. If I were ever put in charge of the liturgical calendar (which is highly unlikely) I’d stretch out Ordinary Time in the early part of the calendar year, so that we can hear more about Jesus’ public ministry.

http://www.americamagazine.org/issue/lenten-mystery