Lent

Originating in the 4th century of the church, the season of Lent spans 40 weekdays beginning Ash Wednesday and climaxing during Holy Week with Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday, and concluding Saturday before Easter.

As we know, Jesus retreated into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for Him a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation. By observing Lent, most Christians join Jesus on His retreat.

Lent for most Catholics is a special time. The forty days of Lent remind us of giving up something that is a sacrifice, acts of self-denial, acts that are geared to remind us of Christ. Lent is sacred and spiritual for every Christian. This is the season that reminds us of the great sacrifice of Christ for each one of us. Centuries ago Jesus Christ went through an agony, a scourging, a crowning and a crucifixion. The tragedy of Good Friday led to the triumph of Easter Sunday. The acts of self-denial, the acts of sacrifice we make during this season helps us identify with the sacrifices of Christ. Uniting our sacrifice with that of Christ, uniting our pain with his, Lent is set aside just to remind us of these factors.

Lent is marked by a time of prayer and preparation to celebrate Easter. Since Sundays celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the six Sundays that occur during Lent are not counted as part of the 40 days of Lent, and are referred to as the Sundays in Lent. The number 40 is connected with many biblical events, but especially with the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry by facing the temptations that could lead him to abandon his mission and calling. Christians today use this period of time for introspection, self examination, and repentance.

The following is an extract taken from the message of the Holy Father, John Paul ll, for Lent 2000:

"I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20)

This year, the celebration of Lent, a time of conversion and reconciliation, takes on a particular character, occurring as it does during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. The time of Lent is in fact the culminating point of the journey of conversion and reconciliation which the Jubilee, the year of the Lord's favour, offers to all the faithful, so that they can renew their fidelity to Christ and proclaim his mystery of salvation with renewed ardour in the new millennium. Lent helps Christians to enter more deeply into this "mystery hidden for ages" (Eph 3:9): it leads them to come face to face with the word of the living God and urges them to give up their own selfishness in order to receive the saving activity of the Holy Spirit.

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