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Understanding Lent
What is Lent?
Lent is a season of preparation leading up to Easter. It is the
forty days plus the six Sundays before Easter. For centuries, it
has been observed as a special time of self examination and
penitence. Lent is a time for concentration on fundamental
values and priorities, and is not a time for self punishment.
Throughout Lent, the worship services of the church
take on a simpler tone, appropriate to this season. Banners are
removed from the church. Crosses showing the risen Christ are
veiled or removed. The word “Alleluia” is not used in the words of the
liturgy or hymns. Also the Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the Highest)
is omitted during Lent.
These practices help the worshipping community
to mark this season of renewal as a special time in the
church year.
Observing Lent
The custom is to mark the season of Lent by giving up some
things and taking on others. Both can serve to mark the season
as a holy time of preparation. Some examples of things people
give up for Lent include sweets, meat for all or some meals,
and alcohol. In most cases, giving up something for Lent can be
made more meaningful by using the money or time for another
purpose. For example, meal times on fast days could be spent
in prayer. Another example is that if you give up meat during
Lent, the extra money that would go to meat dishes can be
given to a group, such as World Vision, which works to end
hunger worldwide. Some things added during Lent are daily
Bible reading, times of prayer, taking a course of study related
in some way to spirituality.
Note that the season of Lent is forty days plus the six
Sundays. This is because Sundays are celebrations of Jesus’
resurrection and are always an appropriate day to lessen the
restrictions of Lent.
Lent is also an especially appropriate time for the sacrament
of confession. While confession to a priest is not required
to receive God’s forgiveness, it can be a meaningful rite of
reconciliation to God.
Special Days and Services
Shrove Tuesday
This is actually the day before Lent begins. The day is named
for the “shriving” or confessing that was traditional on this day
before beginning Lent. This day is also known as Mardi Gras,
or “Fat Tuesday,” because it was a time for eating the things
from which one would abstain during Lent. Pancake suppers
are traditional as they were a way of using up some of the
ingredients not needed during Lent.
Ash Wednesday
The first day of Lent is marked with a special liturgy. The
theme for the day, though not for all of Lent, is that we stand as
sinners condemned to die, but for God’s grace. This is symbolized
by the imposition of ashes on the forehead, with the
words, “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” In the Old
Testament, ashes were a sign of penitence (feeling regretful at
offenses) and mourning.
Stations of the Cross
These are depictions of 14 incidents in the Gospel accounts of
Jesus’ death from Pilate’s house to being placed in the tomb.
They are used for the service called the Way of the Cross,
which visits each station in turn with a brief reading, response,
collect and on some occasions, a meditation. This is particularly
appropriate for Good Friday and all Fridays in Lent.
Refreshment Sunday/Mothering Sunday
The fourth Sunday of Lent has long been observed as a day for
completely relaxing the disciplines of Lent. It is also known as
Mothering Sunday as this was the first Mother’s Day and a
traditional time for remembering your mother.
Palm Sunday
This Sunday before Easter is the last Sunday in Lent. The day
commemorates Jesus. triumphal entry into Jerusalem with a
blessing of palms and a procession in which the whole congregation
carries palms. The day is also marked by reading the
story of Jesus. passion (the word used to describe Jesus. death
comes from .suffering,. which is one old meaning of passion).
Some of the Palm Sunday palms are kept and used to make the
Ash Wednesday ashes for the next year.
Holy Week.
The final week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the
religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday)
and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday until, but not including,
Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of
The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of
Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels.
Maundy Thursday
This is the Thursday in Holy Week (the week leading up to
Easter). The day is a time for remembering The Last Supper.
The name comes from the Latin word Maundatum for commandment
as Jesus said, I give you a new commandment;
that you love one another. At the conclusion of this service,
altars are stripped of any ornamentation and crosses are removed
or veiled to mark the solemnness of the occasion.
Good Friday
The Friday in Holy Week is a time for remembering Jesus
death. Traditionally there is a Good Friday service at noon as
Jesus hung on the cross from noon until 3 P.M. There may also
be an evening service. There is no celebration of Communion from
Maundy Thursday until the Easter Vigil on late Saturday or early Sunday.
However, it is customary in many churches to give out the elements of communion
blessed during the Maundy Thursday service.
The Easter Vigil
This service is appropriate from after sunset on Holy Saturday
until sunrise Easter morning. This was the traditional time of
baptism in the early centuries of Christianity. This service
begins in darkness and a new fire is lit, from which the Christ
candle is lighted. It signifies the light of Christ coming into the
world anew at the resurrection. This service ends the season of
Lent and begins the joy of the Easter season.
Easter Day
And finally after 40 days and six Sundays we reach Easter Day.
The day on which we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord.
All the Lenten coverings are removed. Altar Frontal goes from Lenten Purple
to White or Gold. Flowers are welcomed back into the church.
The Gloria is sung again.
People everywhere quite often with their families try to come to church on this
day to celebrate that after 2000 years the Resurrection is still the foundation of our faith.
The cry Alleluia 'He is Risen' rings out around the church.