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 On Wednesday,
February
17, 2010, we will enter into one of the most important seasons of the church year—the “40
days” of Lent. The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word
lencten, or
spring, the time of year when the days begin to lengthen. Lent itself is always the same
period of time, but its starting date is tied to the movable feast of Easter and can be as
early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
Lent is one of the most important seasons of the church year because
it is a time of
penitence,
an introspective period during which we take stock of our lives and
our relationships to discover and change what we must to prepare for
Easter
and experience the spiritual renewal that comes when we engage in this
type of “making right” activity.
So, during
Lent
we each follow the example of
Jesus
by sacrificing our own will to the purpose of God.
Starting on Ash Wednesday,
the Lenten season includes 40 weekdays and five Sundays before Holy Week and
the culminating triumph of the Resurrection at Easter. Lent has two
major focuses:
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The first is
on baptism, which in the early church occurred only at Easter.
The Sunday readings provide a short course on the meaning of baptism.
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The second
Lenten theme—one with which most of us are now more familiar—is that
of fasting and renunciation. This theme recalls Jesus’ 40 days
in the wilderness, and through them the discipline of self-denial
reflecting the sacrifice of our will to the purpose of God.
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Tuesday, February 16,
is the final day before the Lenten fast.
This day is variously recalled
in the celebration of Carnival (“farewell to meat”) which concluded on “Fat
Tuesday” or Mardi Gras, and in Shrove Tuesday’s pancakes (consuming the eggs,
milk and fat not allowed during the fasting of Lent). “Shrove” Tuesday refers to
the ancient practice of being “shriven” (confessing and receiving absolution) in
order to begin and keep a holy Lent.
The liturgical colors of Lent are purple, for penitence and royalty, or rough
unbleached linen, based on the sackcloth of Old Testament mourning and reflecting the
somber mood of the season. |
| -- Peter
Olson
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Lenten
Factoids
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First Sunday in Lent
(February 21, 2010)
The readings during the five Sundays of Lent provide a
short course in the meaning of baptism, with each reading referring directly to part of
the baptismal rite in the Book of Common Prayer. On this first Sunday in Lent, the readings focus on turning
away from evil. |
Second Sunday in Lent (February 28, 2010)
Continuing the liturgical “short course” in
baptism, today’s readings focus on turning toward Jesus Christ. In baptism we offer
ourselves to God in Christ—a sacrifice of our selves reinforced in the reference to
self-offering found in each Eucharistic prayer. |
Third
Sunday in Lent (March 7, 2010)
After focusing on turning away from evil (March
1) and
turning toward Christ (March 8), the readings today further continue Lent’s
exploration of baptism by looking at what we thirst for in life. |
Fourth
Sunday in Lent (March 14, 2010)
Today’s readings seek empowerment from the Holy
Spirit. |
Fifth
Sunday in Lent (March 21, 2010)
Concluding five weeks of readings focused on the meaning
of baptism, today’s readings invite us to put our whole life and trust in Christ, who
leads us through death into life. |
Palm Sunday (March
28, 2010)
The palms in church this
day will honor Christ’s entry into
Jerusalem. Burned later, the ashes of these palms will next Ash Wednesday symbolize our
mortality and sorrow for our sins. |
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