Family Heirlooms
According to the old family missals my husband and I rediscovered, it is the Liturgical Season of Septuagesima! Never heard of it? Neither had I! Apparently the Church used to have a season of pre-Lent in which you’d start making small sacrifices in preparation for the big 40 Days fast (they asked a bit more of us back then). It makes good sense to prepare. The Sundays in this 3 week season were used as sort of a countdown to Easter- Septuagesima Sunday, 70-ish days to Easter, Sexagesima Sunday, 60-ish days to Easter, Quinquagesima Sunday, 50-ish days until Easter… and then we get to Lent!
From Following the Mass, The Ideal Missal, 1936
I used to dislike Lent when I was younger, but since my mid-20s and every year thereafter, I realized that the more you are able to offer to the Lord, the closer you can grow to Him, and if you ask the Lord, those sacrifices can be used toward reparations for the fallen world in which we abide. I’m still not great at sacrificing (especially doing it joyfully!), but each year brings fresh opportunities to try.
Back to those old family books: the ones we were given belonged to my husband’s great grandparents and date to 1902, 1905, and 1936. They are absolutely filled with information that is new to me, and I love, love, love the illustrations. They are done in woodcut style, and range from Art Nouveau to Deco, periods that are close to my artsy heart. I’ve been wanting to incorporate more of the vintage woodcut look into my art, so look for that soon!
I will leave you with a few more examples:
From Following the Mass
From The Bread of Angels, A Manual of Prayer and Instructions, 1905
From Flowers of Piety, A Collection of Approved Prayers for Catholics, 1902
Enjoy!
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