In Western Christianity, Lent is the period (or season) from Ash Wednesday to
Holy Saturday. In Eastern Christianity, the period before Easter is known as
Great Lent to distinguish it from the Winter Lent, or Advent (known in Greek as
the "Great Fast" and "Nativity Fast", respectively). This article tends to
discuss Lent as understood and practiced in Western Christianity.
Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, roughly
corresponding to early spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Ash Wednesday, which
may fall anywhere between February 4 and March 10, occurs forty-six days before
Easter, but Lent is nevertheless considered to be forty days long, due to the
fact that Sundays in this season are not counted among the days of Lent. The
traditional reason for this is that fasting was considered inappropriate on
Sunday, the day commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus.
Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, while Lent is a time of
preparation for Holy Week. Holy Week recalls the events preceding and during the
crucifixion, which Christians believe occurred in the Jerusalem of the Roman
province Judea, circa AD 30.
Origins
The forty day period is symbolic of the forty days spent by Jesus in the
wilderness; the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai with God; the forty days
and nights Elijah spent walking to Mt. Horeb; in the story of Noah, God makes it
rain for forty days and forty nights (they were in the ark for much longer); the
Hebrew people wandered forty years traveling to the Promised Land. Jonah in his
prophecy of judgment gave the city of Nineveh forty days grace in which to
repent. Jesus is said to have retreated into the wilderness to be tempted by the
devil. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. Afterwards He was hungry
and the devil tempted Him. Jesus overcame all of the devilish temptation of the
lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life by citing Holy
Scripture to the devil. The Devil left Him. Holy Angels ministered to Jesus. Now
Jesus begins His Galilean ministry.
The Lenten period of forty days owes its origin to the Latin word quadragesima,
signifying forty hours. This referred to the forty hours of total fast which
preceded the Easter celebration in the early Church.[1] The main ceremony was
the baptizing of the initiates on Easter Eve. The fast was in preparation to
receive this sacrament. Later, the period from Good Friday until Easter Day was
extended to six days, to correspond with the six weeks of training, necessary to
instruct the converts who were to be baptized.
Initially the word simply meant spring, and later became associated with the
fast. The English word lent derives from the Germanic root for Spring
(specifically Old English lencten; also the Anglo-Saxon name for March - lenct -
as the main part of Lent, before Easter, usually occurred in March).
A strict schedule was adhered to in the teaching of the converts. In Jerusalem
near the close of the fourth century, classes were held throughout seven weeks
of Lent for three hours each day. With the imposition of Christianity as the
state religion of Rome during this century, its character was endangered by the
great influx of new members. To combat this hazard, the Lenten fast and
practices of self-renunciation were required of all Christians. The less zealous
of the converts were thus brought more securely into the Christian fold.
[edit] Customs during the time of Lent
Formerly Lent was referred to by the term quadragesima (or the "fortieth day"
before Easter). This nomenclature is preserved in Romance, Slavic and Celtic
languages (for example, Spanish cuaresma, Portuguese quaresma, French carême,
Italian quaresima, Croatian Korizma, Irish Carghas, and Welsh C(a)rawys). The
name change occurred in the late Middle Ages as Western sermons began to be
spoken in the local vernacular instead of Latin. As such, the use of this
particular term to describe the period at this point is unique to English.
There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both
from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional
practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are prayer (justice
towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards
neighbor). Today, some people give up something they enjoy, and often give the
time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.
In the Roman Catholic Church, and many other liturgical Christian denominations,
Maundy Thursday (also called "Holy Thursday", especially by Roman Catholics),
Good Friday, and Holy Saturday form the Easter Triduum. Lent is a season of
grief that necessarily ends with a great celebration of Easter, it is known in
Eastern Orthodox circles as the season of "Bright Sadness". It is a season of
sorrowful reflection which is punctuated by breaks in the fast on Sundays.
The Lent semi-fast may have originated for practical reasons: during the era of
subsistence agriculture in the West as food stored away in the previous autumn
was running out, or had to be used up before it went bad in store, and little or
no new food-crop was expected soon (compare the period in Spring which British
gardeners call the "hungry gap").
In the Roman Catholic Mass as well as the Lutheran Divine Service and Anglican
Eucharist, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is not sung during the Lenten season,
disappearing on Ash Wednesday and not returning until the moment of the
Resurrection during the Easter Vigil. On major feast days, the Gloria in
Excelsis Deo is recited, but this in no way diminishes the penitential character
of the season; it simply reflects the joyful character of the Mass of the day in
question. It is also used on Holy Thursday. Likewise, the Alleluia is not sung
during Lent; it is replaced before the Gospel reading by a seasonal acclamation.
Traditionally, the Alleluia was omitted at Mass beginning at Septuagesima, but
since the Second Vatican Council, it has become customary to retain it until Ash
Wednesday, although many traditionalists continue to practice the former custom.
[edit] Pre-Lenten festivals
Lent personified at a Carnival celebration. Detail of 1559 painting "The Battle
between Carnival and Lent" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.Although originally of
pagan content, the traditional carnival celebrations which precede Lent in many
cultures have become associated with the season of fasting if only because they
are a last opportunity for excess before Lent begins. The most famous of
pre-Lenten carnivals in the West is Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
[edit] Fasting and abstinence
Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. Socrates
Scholasticus reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly
forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others
prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places,
believers abstained from food for an entire day, others took only one meal each
day, while others abstained from all food until 3 o'clock. In most places,
however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening and then a
small meal without meat or alcohol was eaten.
During the early Middle Ages; meat, eggs and dairy products were generally
proscribed. However, dispensations for dairy products were given, frequently for
a donation, from which several churches are popularly believed to have been
built, including the "Butter Tower" of the Rouen Cathedral.
Giraldus Cambrensis in his Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales reports
that "in Germany and the arctic regions", "great and religious persons",
classified the tail of beavers as "fish" because of its superficial resemblance
to a fish and their relative abundance.
Today, in the West, the practice is considerably relaxed, though in the Eastern
Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Catholic Oriental Churches abstinence from the
above-mentioned food products is still commonly practiced, meaning only
vegetarian meals are consumed during this time in many Eastern countries. Lenten
practices (as well as various other liturgical practices) are more common in
Protestant circles than they once were. In the Roman Catholic Church it is
tradition to abstain from meat every Friday for the duration of Lent, although
fish and dairy products are still permitted. On Ash Wednesday it is customary to
fast for the day, with no meat, eating only one full meal, and if necessary, two
small meals also.
Current fasting practice in the Roman Catholic Church binds persons over the age
of majority and younger than fifty-nine (Canon 1251). Pursuant to Canon 1253,
days of fasting and abstinence are set by the national Episcopal conference. On
days of fasting, one eats only one full meal, but may eat two smaller meals as
necessary to keep up one's strength. The two small meals together must sum to
less than the one full meal. Parallel to the fasting laws are the laws of
abstinence. These bind those over the age of eighteen. On days of abstinence,
the person must not eat meat or poultry. According to canon law, all Fridays of
the year, Ash Wednesday and several other days are days of abstinence, though in
most countries, the strict requirements of abstinence have been limited by the
bishops (in accordance with Canon 1253) to the Fridays of Lent and Ash
Wednesday. On other abstinence days, the faithful are invited to perform some
other act of penance.
If St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday, the prohibition against meat may be
lifted for North American Catholics of Irish origin who wish to enjoy the
traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage.[citation needed]
Fasting during Lent is a way for Christians to identify with Jesus' suffering,
which according the Gospel, Christ underwent for the sake of humanity, in order
to make propitiation for their failure to keep the laws instituted by God in the
Pentateuch. This sacrifice is referred to by Christians variously as a
substitutionary death, a redemptive death, and a death which satisfied the
perfect justice of God, who actually provided the means for that satisfaction by
sending Jesus, said in the Bible to be God's own son, to die in the place of
humanity. It is this distinction which fulfills the Hebrews' hope for a messiah
(the "Christ" in Greek ) who would save the troubled nation, according to the
New Testament writings.
Many modern Protestants and Anglicans consider the observation of Lent to be a
choice, rather than an obligation. They may decide to give up a favorite food
(e.g. chocolate, alcohol) or activity (e.g. going to the movies, playing video
games) for Lent, or they may instead decide to take on a Lenten discipline such
as devotions, volunteering for charity work, and so forth. Roman Catholics may
also observe Lent in this way, in addition to the dietary restrictions outlined
above, though observation is mandatory under the threat of mortal sin.
Liturgical year
Western
Advent
Christmastide
Epiphany
Lent
Easter season
Feast of the Ascension
Pentecost
Ordinary Time (Kingdomtide)
Eastern
Feast of Cross
Nativity Fast
Nativity
Theophany
Great Lent
Pascha
Pentecost
Transfiguration
Dormition
Protection
[edit] Holy Days
There are several holy days within the season of Lent.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity.
Clean Monday (or "Ash Monday") is the first day in Eastern Orthodox
Christianity.
The fourth Sunday within Lent, which marks the halfway point between Ash
Wednesday and Easter, is sometimes referred to as Laetare Sunday, particularly
by Roman Catholics.
The Sunday following is also known as Passion Sunday for traditionalist
Catholics, though the latter term is also applied to the sixth and last Sunday
of Lent, or Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent immediately
preceding Easter.
Wednesday of Holy Week is known as Spy Wednesday to commemorate the days on
which Judas spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane before betraying him.
Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, and is a day Christians
commemorate the Last Supper shared by Christ with his disciples.
Good Friday follows the next day, in which Christians remember His crucifixion
and burial.
Holy Week and the season of Lent, depending on denomination and local custom,
end with Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday or on the morning of Easter
Sunday.
In the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions, the altar linens and priest's
garments are violet during the season of Lent. However, during the holy days the
linens often change. See Liturgical colours..
[edit] Variations and participation from other Christians
Lent does not always involve sacrifice, but rather an offering. For some
Christians, giving time to tutor, devoting more time to someone, or working for
a non-profit organization is more of a sacrifice than sacrificing food, sex, or
a common luxury[citation needed]. It is also common for many Christians who are
not obligated to participate in Lent to not observe Holy Days and other
traditional practices.
Many Christians who are not obligated to participate by their Church do so
willingly. The degree of participation varies greatly from merely giving up
eating candy to living on bread and water. The participants will often pray or
fast to seek what God's will for them is in regards to Lent.
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