FORTY DAYS
Dates:
Lent is a forty-day
period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count
the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. Lent begins on
10 February 2016 and ends on 26 March 2016, which is the
day before Easter.
In the Roman Catholic Church,
Lent officially ends earlier than for the rest of us, at sundown on
5 April (Holy Thursday), with the beginning of the mass of the Lord’s
Supper.
Colors:
In most churches,
the decorations are purple, the royal color, to prepare for the King.
Scripture Readings:
The Revised Common
Lectionary appoints Scripture readings for use in worship during the Season of
Lent.
The East:
In Orthodox
churches, this season is called the Great Lent. It begins on Clean Monday.
Special Days:
Ash Wednesday, 13
February 2013
The Annunciation, 25 March
The Annunciation, 25 March
Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. All churches that have a continuous history extending before AD 1500 observe Lent. The ancient church that wrote, collected, canonized, and propagated the New Testament also observed Lent, believing it to be a commandment from the apostles. (See The Apostolic Constitutions, Book V, Section III.)
The
Western Church
Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, we skip over Sundays when
we calculate the length of Lent. Therefore, in the Western Church, Lent always
begins on Ash Wednesday, the
seventh Wednesday before Easter.
In many countries, the last day before Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove
Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching) has become a last fling before the solemnity of
Lent. For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining from meat during
Lent, which is why some people call the festival Carnival,
which is Latin for farewell to
meat.
The
Eastern Church
The Eastern Church does not skip over Sundays when calculating the length
of the Great Lent. Therefore, the Great Lent always begins on Clean Monday, the
seventh Monday before Easter, and ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday—using
of course the eastern date for Easter. The Lenten fast is relaxed on the
weekends in honor of the Sabbath (Saturday) and the Resurrection (Sunday). The
Great Lent is followed by Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, which are feast
days, then the Lenten fast resumes on Monday of Holy Week. In the Eastern
Church, Holy Week is a separate season from the Great Lent.
But
the Word “Lent” isn’t in the Bible!
The word “Bible” isn’t in the Bible, either! So what we’re really asking is the origin of the name.
Originally, “Lent” was nothing more than the English name of the season
between winter and summer, the season when the snow melts and the flowers
bloom. German and Dutch have the same word, but with slightly different
spelling. In German, “Lenz” is the poetic word for “spring.” In Dutch, the word
“lente” never changed its meaning. It is still the name of the season between
winter and summer, and it is still used with that meaning in everyday life.
The church observance took place during the season of lent. In England,
“Lent” came to mean the observance rather than the season, leaving the season
without a name. Instead of saying stupid things like “Lent happens during
lent,” English-speaking people invented the word “spring.” Today, instead of
calling the seasons winter, lent, and summer, we call them winter, spring, and
summer. We use “Lent” instead of “spring” when we refer to the church season.
Special
Days
The purpose of the liturgical calendar is to relive the major events in
Jesus’ life in real time, which is why Lent is forty days long. If Jesus were
born on 25 December, then His conception—thus also His incarnation—would have
been nine months earlier, on about 25 March. That is when the angel Gabriel
would have announced Jesus’ birth to Mary. Thus 25 March is known in the
historic church as The Annunciation.
Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
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