The Church of St. Luke

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Of the many traditions and penitential practices observed during the season of Lent, one of the more visible is the stark change in church decor and a complete absence of flowers.

That shift was markedly noticeable during Pope Leo XIV's series of pastoral visits to different parishes in Rome. 

He started the weekly Sunday visits Feb. 15, before Lent, and the areas around the altar in the Church of Santa Maria Regina Pacis in Ostia Lido were resplendent with bright yellow and white blooms and lush greenery.

Then, after Ash Wednesday Feb. 18, each church visit has featured an altar and surroundings to be somberly bare of all floral decorations.

"Using flowers is absolutely forbidden" during the season of Lent, according to Micaela Soranzo, a professor and expert in liturgy and religious architecture. 

However, this doesn't mean the church should be devoid of greenery, as small plants or simple compositions made up of leaves and branches are permissible, Sorano told Catholic News Service in an interview in 2019. She has since published a book on the subject, "Il giardino del cielo. Arredo floreale e liturgia," (The Garden of Heaven: Floral decoration and the liturgy.)

Even fruit and berries are acceptable adornments all year, and the cherry is particularly suitable for Lent because, as St. Augustine noted, its red pulp is a powerful symbol of Christ's passion and the pit recalls the wood of his cross, said Soranzo, who has also worked for the liturgy office of the Italian bishops' conference for two decades.

A modest display of flowers during Lent is possible on "Laetare" (Rejoice) Sunday, the fourth Sunday in the season, when the liturgical vestments change from purple to rose. This sudden visual variation is meant to strike the faithful that something new and joyful is approaching as Easter draws near, she had told CNS. 

On Easter day, there is a true "explosion of flowers," representing new life and "light," which means the predominant colors should be yellow and white, she said. All the other colored blossoms and plants are there "to give the idea of a garden, the garden of the Resurrection," she said.

For the Catholic Church, those sprigs, sprays and bouquets adorning church interiors are meant to bring deeper meaning and attention to the liturgy and the key elements inside each place of worship, Soranzo said. 

"The liturgy needs the language of flowers" because they complement "the immobility of the architecture" and church furnishings with their ability to appropriately represent different feast days and the changing cycle of seasons both in nature and the liturgy, she said.

"Flowers are meant to be an integral part of the liturgy," Soranzo said, "not filler."

In fact, when the true purpose of floral arrangements is misunderstood, churches run the risk either of being bereft of any gift of nature presented in homage to Christ or of being turned into a greenhouse "obstacle course" with pots and plants placed in every available space, she said. 

The topic is so important that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and bishops' conference guidelines include norms on the appropriate use of floral decoration, said Soranzo.

Like all adornments, flowers and plants must not ignore or detract from the symbolic and theological meaning of sacred spaces and furnishings, and they should highlight -- not hide -- the altar, the ambo and the baptismal font, said Soranzo.

The altar -- the table of the Lord -- is Christ; the ambo -- from where the word of God is proclaimed -- is the visible image of Christ resurrected; and the baptismal font is where God's children are welcomed into the Church, she said. 

The need to focus on Christ and his sacrifice means only those elements necessary for the eucharistic celebration should be on the altar, she said, which means flowers should be placed near or next to the altar, never on top -- unless the altar is so large that a small arrangement would not be in the way.

Potted plants with roots should never be used near the altar -- only cut flowers to represent life "that is sacrificed," like the sacrifice of the Eucharist, she said. That is also why no artificial flowers or fake candles should ever be used, she said, because objects near the altar must always be things that "are consumed," depleted and fade away.

The use of flowers also should reflect the hierarchy of what is most important in the church, she said; for example, "it is not right if there are more flowers adorning the statue of the patron saint than the altar."

Soranzo said that a frequent concern of sacristans and parish workers in Italy is the high cost of floral decorations.

She said she tells them, "We must recognize that nature offers us so much," not just the usual hothouse flowers and expensive imports. 

"Creation is so beautiful and wide. The Lord really gave us a lot," she said.

Parishes can keep their costs down by working with florists or farmers and using what is available in their community, said Soranzo. Sometimes the greater the challenge -- be it low budgets, high snowdrifts or long droughts -- the more room for creativity.

"Often simplicity is what makes a composition more beautiful," she said.

The aim, she said, is to create a space where a person of faith or a visitor walks into church and says, "'How beautiful it is to be here.' It has to feel welcoming and flowers help do that."
 

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ROME (CNS) -- Every Catholic parish needs to show that Jesus, who promises a just, true and full life, is always near, Pope Leo XIV said.

"I encourage you to ensure that parish activities are a sign of a Church that -- like a mother -- takes care of her children, without condemning them, but rather welcoming them, listening to them, and supporting them in the face of danger," he told parishioners at the Church of St. Mary of the Presentation in Rome in his homily March 8.

"As a good and caring Shepherd, the Lord always waits for us and accompanies us, wherever we live and however we are. He mercifully heals our wounds and gives himself as a gift to us, enabling us in turn to become a gift for our brothers and sisters," he said. 

Earlier in the day, before praying the Angelus at midday with people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the pope urged Catholics to be men and women of peace and charity, which the world is thirsting for.

"Let us ask Mary, Mother of the Church, to be able to serve, with Jesus and like Jesus, those men and women thirsting for truth and justice," he said. "This is not the time for opposition between one church and another, between 'us' and 'them': those who worship God seek to be men and women of peace, who worship him in Spirit and in truth."

Later in the early evening, Pope Leo made his fourth visit to a parish in Rome in the run-up to Easter. As bishop of Rome, he has been celebrating Mass and meeting with the faithful and priests in different parts of his diocese, most often in neighborhoods that face a variety of difficulties, such as poverty, violent crime and drug dealing. 

"Young people risk growing up deceived by those who peddle death or disillusioned about the future," he said in his homily. "Many are waiting for a home, a job that ensures a dignified life, safe spaces where they can meet, play and plan something beautiful together."

"Men and women arrive at this parish wounded in spirit, their dignity injured and thirsting for hope," he said. "You have the urgent and liberating task of showing them the closeness of Jesus, his desire to redeem our existence from the evils that threaten it with a proposal for a just, true and full life."

The faithful can find strength in the Eucharist, he said, "and may the Gospel, which springs forth in us as a source of truth, help each of us to open our eyes, to wisely evaluate what is good and what is evil, thus forming free and mature consciences."

Before celebrating Mass, the pope met with families and young people outside. 

"Jesus is coming to your home, in your heart, in your life. We have to be ready to open that door to find Jesus, who is waiting for us," he said.

"Jesus is close to us. Let's open our eyes!" he said, indicating the Lord can be found in those who suffer or seek help. "He asks us to bring them what we have received."

Pope Leo also urged the children to make peace with everyone in their lives as part of bringing peace to the world, which is "truly necessary today."

There is always a way to overcome disagreements and difficulties without resorting to bullying or violence, he told the children.

Before visiting the parish in the early evening on the outskirts of Rome, Pope Leo prayed the Angelus at midday at the Vatican. 

The pope highlighted the day's Gospel reading of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at the well (John 4:5-42). 

"According to custom, he ought to have simply ignored that Samaritan woman; instead, Jesus speaks with her, listens to her and shows her respect -- without a hidden agenda and without disdain," he said.

"How many people seek in the Church this same sensitivity, this availability! And how beautiful it is when we lose track of time in order to give attention to the person we are encountering," he said.

So many people in the world are searching "for this spiritual spring," he said, quoting the Dutch Jewish writer Etty Hillesum, who was killed at age 29 in the Auschwitz death camp in 1943: "Sometimes I am there too. But more often, stones and grit block the well, and God is buried beneath. Then he must be dug out again."

"Dear friends, there is no energy better spent than that dedicated to freeing our heart," the pope said.

In need of friends, Tzu Ping Liu took to Facebook Marketplace and found not just a great friend but Jesus Christ as well.