Knightly News

A Moment with the Prelate

Past Commander Brian R. Dodson

Lent is the season when the Church takes up the ancient disciplines of repentance, self‑examination, and renewed devotion. For a Knight Templar, these forty days echo the very heart of our calling. They remind us that before a knight can bear the Cross upon his mantle, he must first bear it within his soul.

Lent begins with the solemn reminder of our mortality; “For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). Yet a Templar does not hear these words with despair. He hears them as a summons to humility, the virtue upon which all true knighthood is built. The Knight bows his head not in defeat, but in readiness to rise renewed.

This season also calls the Knight to examine the walls of his inner fortress. The Psalmist asks, “Search me, O God, and know my heart… and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24). Lent becomes a spiritual inspection; testing the strength of our vows, repairing breaches of discipline, and clearing away whatever weakens our witness to the King we serve.

Lent is a journey into the wilderness, just as our Lord was led there before His ministry. “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). The Knight Templar follows Christ into that wilderness; not with sword in hand, but with the armor of faith, fasting, and prayer. It is in the quiet places, stripped of distraction, that the Knight learns again to rely on the Captain of his Salvation.

Above all, Lent directs the Knight’s eyes toward the Cross. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The Cross is the banner under which we march, the emblem of sacrificial love that defines our Order. As Holy Week approaches, the Knight contemplates not only Christ’s suffering, but the depth of His loyalty; loyalty unto death, loyalty that redeems the world.

And yet Lent is not a march of sorrow alone. It is a pilgrimage toward victory. The Knight knows that beyond the shadow of the Cross lies the brilliance of the empty tomb. “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). Lent trains the Knight to endure, to persevere, and to hope with the steadfast courage as one who serves the risen King.

As we walk through Lent, let us do so as Knights; humble in spirit, steadfast in discipline, and unwavering in devotion. May these forty days sharpen our resolve, purify our hearts, and prepare us to stand once more at the foot of the Cross, ready to rise in the light of Easter dawn.