Looking Forward: Sundays and Holy Days in February

These liturgical summaries will be published in Tidings, the Newsletter of Immanuel Lutheran Church and School.

February 3: Quinquagesima - This day is the last of the three Sundays before Lent, the names of which all end in "-gesima" ("-gesimus" is the Latin ending for some ordinal numbers; quinquagesimus means "fiftieth"). This day is exactly fifty days before Easter, and the Gospel for today (Luke 18:31-43) shows what must happen for Easter to come: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.... They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again." Then Jesus heals a blind man. Thus this Sunday is inviting us to follow Jesus to His cross, bearing our own crosses and praying for healing from our blindness, caused by sin. "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem," Jesus said, and hearing these words we are ready to begin our Lenten journey.

February 6 (7:30 pm): Ash Wednesday - This day marks the first day of Lent, a period of repentance and spiritual renewal. The Old Testament reading, Joel 2:12-19 summons us to fast, while reminding us that the fast needs to be in our hearts, too, and not just an outward show. The Gospel reading, Matthew 6:16-21, further admonishes us not to be hypocrites when we fast. A significant characteristic of this day is the imposition of ashes before the service, with the sobering words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Recognizing our mortality--the just consequence of sin--we turn to the Lord, who feeds us in the Supper with the medicine of immortality, the seed of the resurrection.

February 10: Invocabit - Many of the Sundays in Lent obtain their names from the first words of the Introit (opening Psalm) in Latin. For the First Sunday in Lent, the word "Invocabit" comes from Psalm 91: "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him." Lent renews the invitation to call upon the Lord, and today's Gospel (Matthew 4) sets before us Jesus, who endured the temptations of the devil on our behalf. He called upon His Father in time of trouble, and the Father sustained Him. In every way we are tempted, so was Jesus - only He did not sin. In our temptations, we likewise take up the Word with confidence that when we call upon God, He will answer us.

February 17: Reminiscere - "Remember Your mercy, O Lord," begins the liturgy for the Second Sunday in Lent. The woman whose daughter was possessed by demons would not let Jesus go until He showed her mercy (Mt. 15:21-28). The same Jesus who answered her prayer will not forget us, but "defend us from all adversities that may happen to the body and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul" (Collect for Reminiscere).

February 24: Oculi - "Oculi" means "eyes," and on Lent III we sing, "My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net" (Introit). Today's Gospel (Luke 11:14-28) tells us about Jesus who overcomes the strong man--the devil--by breaking into his fortress and taking the goods he is guarding. We are the "spoils" the devil obtained in the Fall into sin, but Christ our Lord comes to defeat the devil and redeem us, "that we may be His own, and live under Him in His kingdom." This marks the third Sunday in a row where Christ is shown to triumph over the powers of Satan. Throughout Lent, then, we are fixing our eyes on the Lord, who will not let the powers of darkness prevail over us.