Lent is a significant season in the year for Christians – a time of solemnity and self-reflection where they confess their failings and resolve to live a more godly life based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. It lasts for just over six weeks leading up to Easter.
Traditionally it was a time of fasting from certain foods such as eggs, meat, fish and fats. Nowadays people might give up a luxury food – such as chocolate. They may also give up an activity such as using social media or drinking alcohol. It is called Lent in English because it is the time of the year when days are lengthening in the northern hemisphere. Like Easter, Lent falls on different dates each year. Christians in different church traditions around the world celebrate slightly different periods of Lent. Some church buildings are made to look more plain during Lent with flowers and other decorations removed.
Lent is a significant season in the year for Christians – a time of solemnity and self-reflection
In most churches, the first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday. Many Christians go to church that day to seek forgiveness from God for what they have done wrong. In some churches, the priest will take some ash and use it to mark a cross sign on the forehead of each person. It is a symbol of their remorse. The ash is traditionally made from burning palm crosses which were distributed on Palm Sunday the year before (see below). During Lent, many Christians use special studies to guide their times of personal prayer and reflection.
The idea of fasting around the time of Easter goes back to the days of the early Church 2,000 years ago. For some years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christians fasted from all food and drink between Good Friday and Easter Sunday – marking the time period between his death and the discovery that his tomb was empty. Lent, as we now know it, has its origins about 900 years after Jesus. There was international agreement that there should be a season of prayer and seeking forgiveness lasting 40 days – plus Sundays – leading up to Easter Sunday. The significance of the time period was that immediately before he began his years of travelling and teaching, Jesus spent 40 days in the desert reflecting on the future of his life.
Traditionally the day before Lent begins is a time for feasting and celebration. All the luxury foods that won’t be eaten during Lent are consumed. Given that those foods include eggs, milk and fat – ingredients for pancake batter – it is clear why it became traditional to make pancakes! In the UK, the day is known as Shrove Tuesday – the word ‘shrove’ is derived from ‘shrive’ meaning to forgive. In many parts of the world, the day is known as Mardi Gras (‘fat Tuesday’ in French) and is marked with a carnival.
The fourth Sunday during Lent is Mothering Sunday. In England in the 16th century it was an occasion to appreciate the motherly nature of the Church. More recently it has become a time to honour all mothers.
In the UK, the day is known as Shrove Tuesday – the word ‘shrove’ is derived from ‘shrive’ meaning to forgive.
The last week of Lent is Holy Week, which commemorates the final days before Jesus’ execution on a cross. It begins with Palm Sunday which marks the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. It was a day of triumph when crowds of followers and supporters waved palm branches and laid them on the ground in front of him. In many churches, Christians are given small palm crosses to remember the day. These are the crosses that are burnt the following year to provide ashes for Ash Wednesday.
Later in Holy Week, as Lent draws to an end, some Christians mark significant days in the Christian year: Holy Wednesday, when one of Jesus’s followers, Judas, agreed to betray him; Maundy Thursday, when Jesus ate his last meal with his followers and was then arrested; and Good Friday, when Jesus was put on trial and executed. Lent ends with Easter Sunday – the day Christians celebrate Jesus rising from the dead.
Lent is a period of 40 days during which many Christians remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ, whose life and teachings are the foundation of Christianity. The 40-day period is called Lent after an old English word meaning 'lengthen'.
Lent (Latin: Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry.
Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities. Whereas Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus' crucifixion by Rome. This is believed to have taken place in Roman occupied Jerusalem.
What are the Lent fasting rules? On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent.
Mark 1:12-15. The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.
The 40 days of Lent, however, are primarily identified with the time Jesus spent in the desert fasting, praying, and being tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1–11). But though the length of Lent was set by the council, it's start date in relation to Easter was still undecided.
The three traditional pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through the three pillars of Lent we journey to develop a closer relationship to God. The 40 days of Lent should be filled with reflection, service and prayer.
During Lent we take up practices that help us to become aware of and responsive to the needs of others. The three traditional practices of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Lenten fasting requires strict abstinence from meat. According to the USCCB, you shouldn't eat meat from chickens, cows, sheep, ham, pigs, or birds. It's also common practice to avoid alcohol, sweets and desserts, and fast foods made from chicken and beef.
During Lent, we are called to pray as a way to connect with God and reflect on Jesus' sacrifice. Prayer helps us become attuned to God's voice, seek forgiveness and grow closer to him. It's a time for self-reflection and renewal, inviting us to align our lives with God's will.
If you've celebrated Lent in past years, then you may already know some of the common things people give up during that time. Meat is a big one, since Catholics already abstain from all meat other than fish on Fridays during Lent.
Good question, Catholics fast for a day (24 hour period) on at least Fridays during lent. The time when that starts and ends depends on the Catholic, the main key is consistency choose one and stick with it for Lent. The two main ones are midnight to midnight and sunset to sunset.
Baptists traditionally have held a rejectionist approach to anything in church life that is not found in the Bible. Ashes on foreheads, responsive prayers, a liturgical calendar and the like are things not prescribed in the Bible.
Church requirements on fasting only relate to solid food, not to drink, so Church law does not restrict the amount of water or other beverages – even alcoholic drinks – which may be consumed. In some Western countries, Catholics have been encouraged to adopt non-dietary forms of abstinence during Lent.
Many Christians sacrifice the eating of meat and commit to vegetarianism for the entire Lenten season. It is commonplace for many Christians (especially Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists) to observe the Friday Fast throughout Lent, which includes abstaining from meat on the Fridays of Lent.
The practice of veiling images alerts us that something is different, it can be startling at first, but the last two weeks of Lent are a time of immediate preparation for the celebration of the Sacred Triduum. The veils are hard to miss and they serve as a reminder to get ready!
Although you can't eat protein-rich meat during Lent, it's a great time to consume meatless meals, like seafood. Seafood like crayfish, prawns, crab, and fish contain high-quality protein, vitamins, and fatty acids that reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Lent is about the amazing Love that both God and Jesus has for all of us. It's a season in which we remind ourselves about the true meaning of our faith. It's a time when we can challenge ourselves to be more prayerful, kind, generous, charitable and loving toward one another.
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