So What Is Lent?

People ask me this all the time.  I wanted to share with you some of the details about this season in order to help you understand it and to give you the knowledge to sound smart if someone asks you that question.

Many Christians throughout the world observe Lent. Catholics, Orthodox, and many Protestants look forward to this annual time of sacrifice and simplicity. For non-Christians, Lent can be a bit of a mystery. To some, Lent is a period of going on a diet; to others, it is when Catholic co-workers show up to work with ashes on their heads, and fast food restaurants start selling fish sandwiches.

Lent is meant to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him.  Thus, it is fitting that the season of Lent begins with a symbol of repentance: having ashes mixed with oil placed on one's head or forehead. It is important to remember that our Lenten disciplines are supposed to ultimately transform our entire person: body, soul, and spirit.  There are a few basic rituals that have traditionally been associated with Lent.  Many of these (fasting, almsgiving, and prayer) have a long history.  In addition, reading the Scriptures and the Church's Writings can help foster growth during Lent.

Let’s take a closer look at the beginning of Lent.  Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. It comes from the word "shriving" meaning confession and absolution. Traditionally, this was a day when Christians would confess their sins in preparation for Lent. It is a custom to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. This probably originated because of the ingredients in pancakes: oil, eggs, and butter, which were forbidden during Lent. Making and eating pancakes was an easy and convenient way to get them out of the house before Lent began. Shrove Tuesday is also called "Fat Tuesday," which is what Mardi Gras means. It is called this because many took it to be the last time to party before Easter. However, the Church has traditionally tried to discourage the carnal and material celebrations of Shrove Tuesday.  In the Western Church, Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent. On Ash Wednesday, a mixture of ashes and consecrated oil is imposed on the heads or foreheads of the faithful in the sign of the cross. The symbolism is rooted in the Old Testament (and sometimes early Church) practice of wearing sackcloth and ashes to symbolize penitence. It also symbolizes our being ashes and dust, our mortality.

In the course of a year, the Church celebrates the unfolding of the mystery of Christ, beginning with Advent, the anticipation of his first coming, and reaching a high point at Easter, the feast of feasts, the celebration of Christ's resurrection. Throughout the Church Year, which includes the seasonal, daily, and yearly cycles of Christian time, we commemorate and participate in events in the lives of Jesus and his followers, through sanctified time. Thus, we experience in symbol what Jesus and his followers experienced in reality.  Join me in making this season of Lent a meaningful spiritual journey!