What is the meaning of Lent?
a PowerPoint Presentation on The life-changing 40-day pilgrimage to Easter Description: Why and how Lent should make a significant difference in our lives. As it gently teaches about the mercy of God that’s given to us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it raises awareness that we are sinners and Lent is a time of becoming more aware of the sins we need to overcome. It includes a fun “parable” to provide food for discussion and deeper reflection. And it provides the meaning of Ash Wednesday, fasting and abstinence, prayer, and almsgiving — and even explains why we abstain from meat. Instantly downloadable! Ideas for use: Designed as a great introduction to the RCIA Period of Purification and Enlightenment, it’s also good for children’s and adults’ Religious Education classes.
Lent is the is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days have meaning as the time Jesus spent in the desert, where according to the Bible he endured temptation by Satan. As Easter varies from year to year, so do Lent and Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday, AKA the Day of Ashes, can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. On Ash Wednesday, here’s what will happen in churches, for those unsure: On this day all the faithful according to ancient custom are exhorted to approach the altar before the beginning of Mass, and there the priest, dipping his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead — or in case of clerics upon the place of the tonsure — of each the sign of the cross, saying the words: “Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.” Many Christians choose to leave the ashes on their forehead for the remainder of the day. Depending on your church, the restrictions placed upon you on Ash Wednesda
” Answer: Lent is a period of fasting and repentance traditionally observed by Catholics and some Protestant denominations in preparation for Easter. The length of the Lenten fast was established in the 4th century as 40 days. During this time, participants eat sparingly or simply give up a particular food or habit. Ash Wednesday and Lent began as a way for Catholics to remind themselves to repent of their sins in a manner similar to how people in the Old Testament repented in sackcloth, ashes, and fasting (Esther 4:1-3; Jeremiah 6:26; Daniel 9:3; Matthew 11:21). However, over the centuries it has developed a much more “sacramental” value. Many Catholics understand giving something up for Lent as a way to gain blessing from God. The Bible does not teach that such acts have any merit with God (Isaiah 64:6). In fact, the New Testament teaches us that our acts of fasting and repentance should be done in a manner that does not attract attention to ourselves: When you fast, do not look somb
