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Sermon for Ember Saturday of Lent - By Bishop Stobnicki, a Bishop of the resistance.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Please be seated, dear faithful, for a moment. We continue in the season of Lent. Today is Ember Saturday of Lent, and we consider that which distinguishes the liturgy of Ember Saturday, whether in Lent or the other seasons. We observe Ember Days four times a year: in Lent after the first Sunday of Lent; then in the Octave of Pentecost; in September after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross; and in Advent after the third Sunday of Advent.

This liturgy of Lenten Ember Saturday is very characteristic because there are as many as five additional readings, as a rule from the Old Testament. These five additional readings give it an extraordinary character. In the Roman liturgy, we are accustomed to there being one Lesson and one Gospel. Meanwhile, this liturgy of Ember Saturday is so expanded. It is nothing other than a remnant of the vigils celebrated in the first centuries of Christianity, when Catholics could not gather in churches for over 300 years because churches simply did not exist. There were no buildings set apart for divine service because the Church was persecuted.

For three centuries, Catholics met either in homes or in the catacombs, and they met by gathering at night, under the cover of night, and persevered in prayer until dawn. Hence, these Masses in the first centuries were significantly longer than those to which we are accustomed today. It was not half an hour; it was not even an hour; it was an entire Vigil. A remnant of this vigil/watch is, for example, the Holy Saturday Vigil with the blessing of the light, the twelve lessons, and the blessing of the water. So we can more or less imagine that the Sunday Masses in the first three centuries looked exactly like that. They took place at night and were accompanied by—besides the Holy Mass—an expanded Mass of the Catechumens, which was much longer, with more readings and more chants.

Why? Because in those first centuries, the catechumenate was also very highly developed. Today, the catechumenate has almost vanished. It will likely return soon with the rising tide of neo-paganism. However, in the first centuries of Christianity, it was not the case that Catholics were born into Catholic families. There were not yet Catholic parents or Catholic families, or they were very few. Consequently, the main source of faithful for the Church was conversion from paganism. The catechumens were prepared for a long time to receive the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and these night vigils served as an aid in this preparation, so that they could become acquainted with the mysteries of the Catholic faith and prepare themselves as best as possible.

And so, my dear ones, we see what a deep prayerful spirit accompanied the Church in the times of its persecution in the first three centuries after Christ. This is exactly what Saint Paul writes about in today's Lesson: "Pray without ceasing." This prayerful spirit accompanied our fathers in the faith, who knew neither the day nor the hour, who had to be ready for death—usually a martyr's death—at every hour of their lives. These first three centuries of Church history are bathed in the blood of martyrs.

Rightly does Holy Mother Church preserve this practice of Ember Saturdays; through the centuries it has not been abolished, even though as a rule we no longer have to gather—at least for now—under the cover of night. Nevertheless, this liturgy of Ember Saturday has endured through these 2,000 years of the Church's existence as a testimony to how the Holy Mass and the vigils looked in the first centuries.

It also has a certain symbolic dimension. Catholics gathered under the cover of night, in darkness. They came from the world, from darkness. They persevered in prayer in the Vigil, and when the Mass of the Faithful began, dawn would arrive. The rising sun, which is the symbol of the Resurrection: Christ, who brings light into this world. This symbolism has faded due to the change in circuмstances. As I said, the Holy Mass no longer has to be celebrated in the middle of the night, so we have somewhat forgotten our roots and, worse still, we have forgotten that prayerful spirit of which Saint Paul writes: "In prayer, do not cease."

What is characteristic, my dear ones, of contemporary Catholics—including Catholics of the Tradition—is precisely that prayer is not continuous prayer. You will immediately ask: "But Excellency, how am I to pray constantly? After all, I have my duties. I have to go to work; I have to take care of the children." Indeed, absolutely. But prayer should permeate our entire life. In what way? Through ejaculatory prayers (aspiration prayers).

Prayer, as the definition teaches—oratio est elevatio mentis in Deum—is the raising of the mind to God. It does not have to be vocal prayer. Vocal prayer is but one kind. That which constitutes the essence of prayer is the lifting of the mind to God. Thus, detaching the thoughts even for a moment from what is earthly and raising them to heavenly things. When we realize this, we see that we can indeed weave our entire life, our whole day, with prayer like a fabric with a golden thread. An ejaculatory prayer takes literally a second, two, or three, but renewed several or a dozen times throughout the day, it ensures we remain constantly in union with God. We abide constantly in the Divine Presence, and that is the goal of the Christian life.

This prayer to which Saint Paul calls us—that it should not cease—is precisely what we are called to. We are to sanctify our entire day with prayer. Not just prayer in the morning and evening—and God forbid it be recited sloppily and quickly—but that prayer which accompanies us all day long. Because, my dear ones, if we want to get to heaven, we must show the Lord Jesus here on earth that we truly want to spend eternity with Him. If you cannot find a few minutes during the day for ejaculatory prayers for God, it means something is wrong with your spiritual life. If you can live 24 hours and not once lift your thoughts to heaven, something is wrong.

Furthermore, even if—for there are such souls in the Tradition, and they are very numerous—they have a whole "package" of prayers, a huge package, an hour and a half or two hours that they "rattle off" and then they are done and "free" until the next day. I know, unfortunately, a great many such souls, especially women. They take a huge burden upon their shoulders; they commit to this and that until they can no longer carry it. It is, my dear ones, a bit like collecting points at a gas station. Just to "log" that hour every day: "Yes, I am free, I have a vacation from God until tomorrow." This is not a Catholic attitude. Unfortunately, among both "neo-pious" Catholics and "pseudo-pious" traditionalists, such an attitude is found. Prayer is not to cease; it is to accompany us all day. Even if you dedicate an hour or two to God and then forget Him for the next 24 hours, that is not Catholic. That is pseudo-piety. That is false piety. It is giving God some "scrap" haphazardly and then living a truly godless life. If you are a Catholic soul, you desire to lift your mind to God as often as possible.

It is no great effort to sigh in moments of hardship or when problems arise: "Jesus, save me. Lord Jesus, help me. Most Holy Mother, help." Let us invoke the saints when we need their help. Holy Mother Church points us to saints for various needs—Saint Anthony, for instance, when we lose something: "Saint Anthony, show thy glory by helping me find what I have lost." Every Catholic has more than once been convinced of what a powerful intercessor Saint Anthony is. We must return to this "praying without ceasing." We must return to this prayerful spirit, without which there is no truly Catholic life. There is only a pseudo-Catholic life, a "pretend" life.

And this applies, my dear ones, to both the laity and the clergy, for one can be a godless priest. One can be a priest who "rattles off" exactly what he has to do and then takes a vacation from God until the next day. This is a great danger. Church history shows how many souls have fallen into this diabolical trap. The Catholic religion is not about collecting points at a gas station. The Catholic religion is living in the Divine Presence. And if I am to live in the Divine Presence, I ought to think of God as often as possible.

It does not cost much effort. If once an hour or every few minutes you sigh in your heart to the Lord Jesus. Not using the Holy Name of Jesus or the Name of the Mother of God as a "filler" in silly discussions, but a sincere, childlike sigh in time of need. A sincere sigh, a stirring of contrition at the thought of sins committed: "O my Jesus, mercy." A request for what you need; thanksgiving for what you have received; and finally, an act of adoration: "Lord Jesus, I love Thee. Lord Jesus, I adore Thee." Let us return, my dear ones; let us learn this prayerful spirit. This Ember Saturday of Lent is a great opportunity for each of us to make a firm resolution to work on our prayer life, so that prayer in our lives will truly be "without ceasing." Let us stop giving God miserable scraps of our time and interest. St. Teresa the Great used to say: "The Lord walks among the pots and pans," expressing exactly the thought I am speaking of. We are to do everything we do by offering it through the hands of the Most Holy Mother to the Lord Jesus. Everything you do in life can become a prayer if performed out of love for God and neighbor, offered through Mary to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Let us learn to sanctify and dedicate all our actions to God. Whatever we are doing, wherever we are going. How much time, my dear ones, do we have of these "empty flights," so to speak, and what do we occupy ourselves with then? What do Catholics occupy themselves with? They either think about nonsense, or they carry on foolish discussions, or they sit there on a smartphone scrolling through who-knows-what. How much time is wasted every day! If we were to look at how much time we wasted even today, we would probably be overcome with terror. How many opportunities we had today to lift our thoughts to God, and how many times did we fail to do so out of our own stupidity or laziness?

It really costs very little, yet it completely changes our way of thinking and looking at our earthly life—living in the Divine Presence, and thus, habituating ourselves to life in Heaven. For in Heaven, you will live united with the Most Holy Trinity. There will be no "scrolling" on a phone there; there will be no mindless internet discussions. So, if we want to spend eternity with our Lord Jesus Christ, let us learn to spend time with Him here on earth.

Pray without ceasing. And let this be our firm resolution on this Ember Saturday of Lent, in the Year of the Lord 2026. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.