The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word that means “spring” or “springtime.” Taken literally, the word means that this is the time of the year when the days lengthen. This season of the church year is a time of preparation, reflection, growth, and change. As people of faith, we take time to learn more about our relationship to God and to others. This season before Easter can be seen as the springtime of our souls – a time for the nurture and growth of our faith.
The Season of Lent began in the early church as a time for preparing new converts for baptism on Easter. By the middle of the 4th century, a 40-day preparation period had been established. During that time, candidates for baptism fasted and heard lectures from early church leaders. Later, the Season of Lent became a time for all Christians to prepare for Easter. It remains a 40-day long period, not counting Sundays. Historically, the Lenten fasts were lessened on Sundays, thus not included in the days of Lent. All Sundays are considered “little Easters,” celebrating the resurrection. The days before Ash Wednesday, the first day in the Season of Lent, are Carnival time, a high-stepping, high-calorie antidote to winter, culminating on Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday, and/or Mardi Gras, the day before Lent begins. It’s a time to dance, attend plays, sing around the piano and make merry! “Carnival means “farewell to meat,” when we say goodbye to feasting and clean the treats out of our cupboards to prepare for Lenten fasting.
Eventually, the harsh demands and expectations of Lent have softened and relaxed. Today, we choose Lent as a time of growth and change. While some choose to give up habits they think are harmful or unnecessary, others of us choose to spend more time in prayer and meditation. Still others search to discover how they can share God’s love with others in the world in meaningful ways. Truth is, God doesn’t need us to pray, fast or give alms. We need it. We need to choose a life of spiritual discipline and practice that gives us a renewed sense of vocation and responsibility.
May the approaching Season of Lent be a time of reflection and renewal for you, and may that long-anticipated Easter morning fill your hearts with joy that lasts throughout the year!
Harvey
