A look at Lent

Historical Roots of Lent

The season of Lent arises from the period of 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert near Galilee. According to Mark 1:12-13: immediately following His baptism in the Jordan River, “the Spirit made Him go into the desert, where he stayed for 40 days, being tempted by Satan.” In following Christ’s example, Christians have practiced some form of Lenten observance since the beginning of the church’s recorded history. Around A.D. 300, with the legalization of Christianity in Rome, the church made Lent a regular celebration of the liturgical year. Since then, the way that the church observes the
season has been revised several times but has always retained a focus on fasting, prayer and almsgiving to provoke a renewal of faith in Christ.

Lent Begins: Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is considered the “official” beginning of the Lenten fast. Lent begins on a Wednesday so that the Lenten fast extends for 40 days (excluding Sundays). This is to mirror the time that Jesus spent in the desert. The day preceding Ash Wednesday is known as Fat Tuesday. It is traditionally a day for consuming all the fatty and sweet foods in the house, thus preparing the household for the Lenten fast. Ash Wednesday has been observed by many Christians since at least the eighth century. During the worship celebration on Ash Wednesday, the foreheads of the people are marked
with the sign of the cross in ashes. The ashes, made from palms from previous Palm Sundays, are blessed before they are used to mark the people. When the minister marks the people with the ashes he or she says, “Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The ashes are to remind us of mourning and penance. They are placed on the forehead as a cross to show that we are God’s people. This is illustrated in the book of Revelation:

“Then I looked and there was the lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had His name and his Father’s name on their foreheads.” (Rev 14:1)

Traditional Lenten Practices

There are three traditional practices that are observed during the season of Lent. These are not things to be done only
in Lent, but to be renewed as Jesus renewed His resolve by traveling the desert for forty days. The first traditional practice is fasting:

The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." (Matthew 4: 3)

In fasting we exercise self-control by saying that the material world “Even though it is good, it should not come between us and God.” The second traditional practice is prayer: “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?” (Luke 18: 7)

In prayer we put God in our thoughts first, whether by asking for help in following Him through the valley of the shadow of death, praising His name, or thanking Him for His gifts. Finally, the third traditional practice is almsgiving: “A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.” (Mark 12: 42)

In almsgiving we love our neighbor, clothe the naked and fulfill the other commands mentioned in Matthew 25: 31- 46; we help our brothers with the love of Christ. Why reinvigorate these practices during Lent? Because as St. Paul says in Romans: “If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” (Romans 6: 8)

Thus, we should renew these practices; we must learn to die to self in order to fully celebrate the resurrection at Easter.