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Tomorrow, February 16th, is Septuagesima Sunday: often overlooked in the modern Church, this pre-Lenten observance 70 days prior to Easter marks a shift toward Lent, reminding us of our fallen humanity and the promise of savior. We are invited during this time to reflect on the very reason we need Lent at all: sin, exile, and the promise of redemption.
The first readings at daily Mass this week have focused on the Creation of Man and Woman, our being made for one another, and our shared fall. Today's first reading is Genesis 3:9-24. We begin with God seeking Adam and Eve; having disobeyed, they hide from God. He calls to them in the darkness, and shift the blame—Adam to Eve, Eve to the serpent—but no excuses can undo what has been done. God’s judgment follows, yet, even in this moment of consequence, a promise shines through the darkness.
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." (Gen 3:15)
This verse, the Protoevangelium (the first Gospel), promises the coming Christ. The wound of sin is fresh, exile from Eden looms, but already, God reveals His plan: one day, the head of the serpent will be crushed. The suffering and toil that follow are not meaningless—they are part of the long journey back to Him.
Septuagesima is an echo of this exile. In the traditional liturgical celebration, the Alleluia falls silent today, the penitential violet appears, and we are reminded that we, too, live in a fallen world. But this is not a season of despair—it is a time to prepare our hearts. Just as Adam and Eve were sent forth from the garden, we will be sent into the wilderness of Lent, where we walk with Christ toward His Passion. We fast, we labor, we recognize the weight of sin—not as an end in itself, but because through it, we come to see our need for a Redeemer.
Lent, then, is the unfolding of the Protoevangelium. The ashes on our foreheads mark the dust of exile, but the Cross we trace is the promise of victory. Christ, the new Adam, takes upon Himself the toil of fallen man. He humbles Himself, walking the road of suffering and undoing Adam’s disobedience by His perfect obedience. Where Adam hid from God, Christ cries out, “Into Your hands, I commend My Spirit.”
As we enter this pre-Lenten season, don't shy away from the weight of sin. Instead, see in it the reason for our hope. Cry out to God in the words of the Exsultet - "O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!" The exile from Eden was not the end of the story; it was the beginning of redemption. We walk toward Calvary not in despair, but in expectation—for the head of the serpent has been crushed, and Christ has opened the way back to the Father.
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