Entering from the side altar at the start of Masses during Lent

Why does the priest enter from the side altar at the start of Masses during Lent?

The liturgical seasons embody different ways we look at our relationship with God. Lent speaks of our awareness that something is missing or something has distanced us from God, namely sin.  So the colors, tone, music, movements of Lent are meant to strike our minds and heart so that we become more mindful of our need for repentance and a change of heart.

At Saint John’s, a change in the way we process to the altar immediately reminds the congregation that something different is happening.  A full length procession is in some respects like a parade. It signifies a joyful gathering of people to march together to God’s table.  Our brief, simplified procession carries with it a somber feeling, a sense that this is not a time for lots of music and marching, but a quiet walk to the altar. The penitential rite, with priest and people kneeling and asking God’s mercy with the ancient  Kyrie Eleison, also signals to everyone: we are people who must come humbly into God’s presence.  “He who humbles himself will be exalted.”  God wants to lift us up in the risen Lord, but he knows that we must come to him with honesty and sorrow for our offenses against him and one another.