On Wednesday, billions of Christians around the world celebrated Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of Lent in the faith, without a clear idea of the history or meaning behind the celebration. The earliest documentation related to Lent dates back to the third century. In the writings of Dionysius, the Bishop of Alexandria which speak of a period of fasting leading up to the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the Council of Nicea in 325 CE, there was a discussion of a 40-day Lenten season of fasting. The Council does confirm the idea that Lent’s original purpose was to prepare for baptism. The early practice of the custom seemed to be centred around the baptizing of persons on Easter. Christians would fast for the forty days leading up to Easter, as a preparation for being baptized. Fasting, in this manner, was seen as an act of “mortification” to reach God. Later, the practice seemed to move from a focus on baptism, to a time of repentance for those who “sinned seriously.” Lent is determined in relation to when Easter will be celebrated. Easter is determined as the first Sunday following the first full moon. This is how the Jewish Passover is determined as well. The choice of 40 days seems to have stemmed from the story told to us in the Gospels of Luke, Mark, and Matthew, where Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert, being tempted by the Devil. Until the seventh century, the first day of Lent always began on a Sunday, but in 601 AD, Pope Gregory (the Great) changed the days to begin on a Wednesday, and implemented the removal of Sundays in counting the duration of Lent. It appears that Gregory even determined the practice of marking people’s foreheads with crosses made of ashes as a symbol of repentance. He equated the practice to the Old Testament custom of wearing sackcloth and ashes during a time of incredible grieving or repentance. Up until the 800s, most Christians were not allowed to eat anything during Lent, with the exceptions of Sundays. Water was only allowed during this time. Sometime during the 800s this practice changed, however. People were then allowed to eat after 3 pm, and in the 1400s people could eat after noon. In 1966, during the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church restricted fasting to Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. A common Lenten practice is to give something up, or deny it from Ash Wednesday until Easter. In practice today, it is intended to be a time to work towards removing unholy distractions and focusing on your relationship with God. Sacrificing something during Lent shouldn’t be like giving up sweets or cutting back on TV time. Sure, what you chose to give up during Lent should be a sacrifice, but giving things up just because it’s Lent isn’t in the true spirit of the season. Instead, it’s important to think about what is standing in your way of a better relationship with God. Do you spend excessive time on Twitter or Facebook that you could instead spend praying? Are your eating habits preventing you from being the best person you can be to serve God? Critically reflect on your own faith relationship and find what is holding you back. When you give something up, you should be gaining a better faith relationship in return. If you aren’t, it may be time to reconsider your choice. Oppositely, some people choose to do something additional during Lent, like volunteer or donate resources. While good, remember that Lent is about religious reflection and preparation; if you choose to serve, challenge your notion of how your service fits into your faith journey. Ultimately, choosing to or not to observe Lent is completely up to each person. Different denominations have slightly different guidelines for the period of reflection and purposeful worship, but the important thing is to do it with intentionality. Don’t just go through the motions. Have a Holy and blessèd Lenten Season
Posted on: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 09:52:41 +0000