There is a connection between the Small Catechism and Lent.
Pastor Joseph Abrahamson writes in “Luther’s Small Catechism and Lent,” on Brothers of John the Steadfast, “Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism has been associated with the season of Lent since the time Luther first published in chart in time for Lent in 1529.” He continues, “Our parish is one of many that has a long standing practice of reviewing one chief part each week during the Lenten season.”
Pastor Abrahamson reveals how the Small Catechism is in three sections that address in order:
- The what of the Christian faith
- The how of the Christian faith.
- The where of the Christian faith.
This helps us understand both the parts and the whole of the Catechism. Pastor Abrahamson writes, “While teaching the parts of the Catechism it is important to keep the whole in mind to understand how the parts relate to each other and why they are there.”
With that understanding, he develops an insightful way of reviewing the Small Catechism during Lent.
Read the article here, and hear audio of his discussion of the article on Steadfast Throwdown here.