What is the Season of Lent Really All About?
The word, Lent, comes from the Old English word, lencten, which means lengthen. It refers to the lengthening of the daylight hours that occur as spring approaches. The season lasts for 40 days symbolizing the great 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness under temptation. Forty days was also the amount of time that candidates for baptism had to fast, study and pray in the early Christian Church before they would be baptized at the Easter Vigil. Lent is season of conversion, repentance and confession in the life of the Church. It is a time of preparation for baptism, contemplation on Jesus journey to the cross, and the time in which those who had left the church could be restored to their community of faith again. The darker colors of purple and black replace the bright whites and greens of Epiphany. Purple is a color that signifies royalty, repentance and self discipline. Black symbolizes mourning for sorrow and sin and is used on Good Friday. Flowers are removed from the Church san
