CHURCH YEAR/SEASONAL DESCRIPTIONS

Lent

Lent is one of the most important seasons of the church year.

Lent has two major focuses:

The first is on baptism, which in the early church occurred only at Easter. The Sunday readings provide a short course on the meaning of baptism.

The second Lenten theme—one with which most of us are now more familiar—is that of fasting and renunciation. This theme recalls Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, and through them the discipline of self-denial reflecting the sacrifice of our will to the purpose of God.

The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, or spring, the time of year when the days begin to lengthen. Lent itself is always the same period of time, but its starting date is tied to the movable feast of Easter and can be as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. Lent is one of the most important seasons of the church year because it is a time of penitence, an introspective period during which we take stock of our lives and our relationships to discover and change what we must to prepare for Easter and experience the spiritual renewal that comes when we engage in this type of “making right” activity. So, during Lent we each follow the example of Jesus by sacrificing our own will to the purpose of God. After Jesus was baptized by John, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert in preparation for his ministry. For forty days and forty nights he was tempted by the Devil, but remained sinless. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and extends forty days through Holy Saturday representing the forty days Jesus prayed and was tempted.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. We all make choices, some big, some small. We make decisions about how we treat ourselves, others and God. Our choices reflect on who we are and all together give a telling picture of our commitment to Jesus. As humans, we too often fail to follow the two great commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. Love your neighbor as you love yourself”. The ashes placed on our forehead reminds us that God made us out of the dust of the earth: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. God is everlasting, but we are human and none of us knows what lies before us, or what will be asked of us. In the blink of an eye our life can end and we will return to the dust of the earth.

During Lent, the bible readings tell us about many of the acts and miracles Jesus performed during his ministry here on earth. During Lent, we are asked to examine our life, to take a close look at how we act toward others, how we treat God, and how we treat ourselves. We are asked to daily pray for forgiveness of the decisions we have made which, by thought, word and deed, have harmed others and ourselves. We are asked to remember these decisions and to change our ways.

The liturgical colors of Lent are purple, for penitence and royalty, or rough unbleached linen, based on the sackcloth of Old Testament mourning and reflecting the somber mood of the season.

[Note: The Tuesday before the Lenten fast is variously recalled in the celebration of Carnival (“farewell to meat”) which concluded on “Fat Tuesday” or Mardi Gras, and in Shrove Tuesday’s pancakes (consuming the eggs, milk and fat not allowed during the fasting of Lent). “Shrove” Tuesday refers to the ancient practice of being “shriven” (confessing and receiving absolution) in order to begin and keep a holy Lent.]

Previous Season: Epiphany

Next Season: Holy Week

Proper Preface: The Preface of Lent (1,2)

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