Vatican II at 50 - Lent, a time to simplify

When the A&E television documentary “Hoarders” premiered in 2009, it was reportedly the most watched series premiere in the network’s history among adults aged 18–49, and tied for the most watched among adults aged 25–54.   Four years and several episodes later, the series, which depicts persons who struggle with compulsive hoarding, is still going strong.  I guess there is a little hoarding in all of us.   It’s difficult to part with our stuff.  

But that’s what the Second Vatican Council did with the liturgy.  It did away with rituals deemed superfluous in order to make the liturgy more accessible to the people of God.   As the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy which guided the reforms states:

The rites should be marked by a noble simplicity; they should be short, clear, and unencumbered by useless repetitions; they should be within the people’s powers of comprehension and as a rule not require much explanation.  #34

By simplifying the rites, the Church believed that people would more readily understand their true meaning and be able to fully participate.

The season of Lent is all about simplicity.  The environment, the music and the rites are simplified in order to bring out the true essence of the season.   During Lent, we too are called to simplify our lives, to pare, to prune, and to purge, to let go of whatever it is that keeps us from freely living as children of God.   As the people on “Hoarders” can testify, letting go of our clutter is never easy.   Our stuff keeps us safe, or so we like to think.   As “Hoarders” reminds us, letting go of our stuff means more than cleaning a room or two.   Only by undergoing an inner transformation can we reveal the hidden beauty of our true selves.  Amen!