What is Lent?
In Christianity Lent is a period of fasting (which limits the kinds and amounts of food that are eaten), praying and personal reflection, in preparation for the celebration of Easter. This is to serve as a reminder of the 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness. Christians are called to consider the life of Christ and to reflect on the high cost of his earthly pilgrimage. Lent which lasts 40 days begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at midnight on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.
Welcome to the Lenten Workshop! As we enter this season in the spirit of the Church and of her liturgy we seek to wash away the stains of sin and to rid ourselves of all that prevents us from living a truly Christian life. We offer these instuctions, prayers and activities to help in our attempt to be united to our suffering Savior. The more perfectly we are united with Him in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in the Eucharist the more we shall share His new life and glorification at Easter. We hope you will use the following links to discover the meaning of Lent.
These days, a Catholic may be able to tell your age by the way you explain Lent. Hello, I’m Father Greg Friedman. American Catholic.org presents this series of “Sunday Soundbites” for the season of Lent. Older Catholics, who remember Lent in the 1930s, 40s or 50s or perhaps even earlier may first think of this season as a time of penance. Lent was when you gave up something like food or going to the movies in order to do penance for sin. Since the Church has restored the rite of initiating adults into the Christian faith, Lent has taken on a different meaning one that goes back to the fourth and fifth centuries. At that time, the 40 days before Easter were the final stage of preparation for those about to be baptized. The rest of the Church prayed and fasted in solidarity with them. Today, with the presence in most Catholic parishes of a group of adults visibly making ready to receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil, Lent has regained that “baptismal” emphasis. We stil
