For Western Christian churches that abide by the church class , Lent is a meter when citizenry traditionally do penance by way of give up something in their life . Some of themost commonthings that people have decided to do without for Lent in recent years have been gossiper , social media and swearing . But where did the idea of Lent hail from ?
Why Lent?
The tidings " Lent " is deduct from an onetime English give-and-take intend " spring " and is a menses of penance and abstinence observed by many Christians . Lent usually get down on Ash Wednesday ( itself a dissimilar particular date every class ) and stop on Holy Thursday ( the day beforeGood Fridaywhen Christians commemorate Jesus Christ ’s crucifixion ) . That ’s a period of 40 day if you do n’t count Sundays . Lentis an homageto Jesus ’s 40 days spent fasting in the desert in homework for his ministry on Earth .
The role of observing Lent is for Christians toprepare for the approach of Easterby beat closer to God and repenting of sins . So , the point of return up something ( i.e. fast ) is to do penance ( a common praxis used in many churches by which parishioners seek forgiveness ) , as well as to participate in some small way with Jesus ' suffering in the desert .
Often , people elect to give up something they really enjoy or look on , like cigarettes , alcoholic beverage , debauched intellectual nourishment or deep brown . Others opt to fast from practice that do n’t necessarily make them a good individual , like chatter or criticizing others .
Whatever you give up , intent is a big part of truly recognizing Lent . " Jesus calls us to fast , but simply tells us to do it for the right reasons . It should not be for our glory , but for God ’s , " emailed Stephen Corrigan , who was a fourth - twelvemonth Catholic seminarian at St. Peter ’s Catholic Church in Gloucester , England when we interview him in 2019 . ( He has since been ordained ) . " If we are doing something which is sinful then it would be good to endeavor to stop doing it … But something which is not sinful can be give up , not because it is unclean but because we are called to something greater . "
The History of Lent
Lentwas formally createdduring theCouncil of Nicaeain 325 C.E. , a first - of - its form gathering of representatives from all the major Christian sect . in the first place , the dominion around Lent were very strict . Those observing it were only allowed to eatone meal a day , and only in the evening . Meat , Pisces and animal products were off limit . But by the 1400s , Christians were allow to eat by noon . Eventually , other foods ( like Pisces ) were permit and in 1966 , the Roman Catholic Church restricted flying days only to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday .
Pope Gregory the Great created Ash Wednesday in the 600s , commemorate penitent Christians ' brow with ash at a extra service on that day . weary ashes was a biblical symbol of penitence and a reminder of one ’s fatality rate . Ash Wednesday follows Fat Tuesday ( also calledMardi GrasorShrove Tuesday ) , the last 24-hour interval of eat robust or fatty foods before Lent .
Not all Christian denominations observe Lent . It ’s most often observe in the Roman Catholic Church as well as in some Protestant denominations , such as among Anglicans / Episcopalians and Methodists . Baptists and other evangelical denominations are less probable to find Lent , as they say the practice isnot mentioned in the Bible . Eastern Orthodox church still integrate much fast in Lent , though they have a unlike time geological period for observance .
The practice session of fasting for spiritual purposes is n’t just a Christian one . " Muslims observe entire daytime fasting from everything include water [ for instance , duringRamadan ] , " e-mail Rev. Peter Coxe , a Catholic priest who serves in the Diocese of Plymouth , England . " Jews have certain loyal day ( for example Yom Kippur , the day of Atonement ) and seasons with dietetic restrictions ( e.g. no barm in Passover Week ) . "
Even the great unwashed who are n’t spiritual may keep a Lenten practice , seeing it as atime of reflectionor a direction to " reset " their life , removing something unhelpful from them .
Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving
For people who have been observing Lent for a while , it can become jolly rote . Rev. Coxe , and many other spiritual experts , suggest a three - pronged approaching to pretend it more meaningful . Those prongs are prayer , fasting and almsgiving .
Christy Kennedy , a aesculapian sales professional from Cincinnati , Ohio order in 2019 she was give up Facebook for the Lenten period , not because avoiding the societal media platform is such a sacrifice , but so she can devote the time in other ways .
" If I replace the time I look at Facebook with a short or recollective supplicant , I will be in better form , " she said via email . Coxe added that increased attending at weekday mass can also be helpful for prayer time .
Kate Adams , a high schooling math teacher in Athens , Georgia , also hop-skip to renew her house ’s commitment to orison during the forthcoming Lent . " rather of feed something up , I am go to make an effort to pray more … by myself and with the kids , " she explained in an e-mail interview . " I feel like I ’ve let the business of life get in the way of that too much latterly . "
fast is observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by Catholics fromage 18 to 59 , and is limit as a diminution in the amount of food one normally corrode . The Catholic Church place this out as one repast per twenty-four hours , with two much small meals ( those two put together should n’t be larger than the main meal ) . People within the age range who do n’t have to fast include those who are sick , pregnant or nursing , manual prole who need the gram calorie for their health and even people who are guests at a meal who ca n’t fast without insult their host . Some hoi polloi may elect to fast on extra days throughout the season .
In add-on to fast , the Catholic Church requires people age14 and olderto abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent . Fish , mollusk , amphibian and reptile meat are OK , not that you ’d necessarily find roasted ophidian on a dinner fare anywhere !
Almsgivingis the giving away of surplus trade good , peculiarly to help the needy , according to Rev. Coxe . The40 Bags in 40 Daysmovement is a pop decluttering / almsgiving effort . Every daylight , people take on a different field of the theatre and take a bag with unwanted times , with the intent of simplify their lives . It purposely cooccur with Lent and at then end of the period , the items are donated , aid others in penury . ( One variation is collecting 40 items rather than 40 bags . )
This conception of doing a good deed is often incorporated into Lenten observances , so that the observer is not just giving up a vice , but also starting a virtue , whether it ’s doing volunteer oeuvre , contributing to a lawsuit or trying to contain something positivistic in their living , such as being more thankful every day .
