OLWEN HOUSE: Don't forget!!

Thought for the week

LENT – What do we know about LENT?
What are you going to give up
for LENT? LENT is also a time for reflection, Why is it important to understand
and know the meaning of religious festivities.
Lent is the period of 40 days which
comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash
Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before the
celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate
Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is
marked by fasting, both from food and festivities.
Whereas Easter celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, Lent recalls the events
leading up to and including Jesus' crucifixion by Rome. This is believed to
have taken place in Roman occupied Jerusalem.
The Christian churches that observe
Lent in the 21st century (and not all do significantly) use it as a time for
prayer and penance. Only a small number of people today fast for the whole of
Lent, although some maintain the practice on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. It
is more common these days for believers to surrender a particular vice such as
favourite foods or smoking. Whatever the sacrifice it is a reflection of Jesus'
deprivation in the wilderness and a test of self-discipline.
Why 40 days?
40 is a significant number in
Jewish-Christian scripture:
·
In Genesis, the flood which destroyed
the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.
·
The Hebrews spent 40 years in the
wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God.
·
Moses fasted for 40 days before
receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.
·
Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the
wilderness in preparation for his ministry.
Most Christians regard Jesus' time in
the wilderness as the key event for the duration of Lent.
Why is it called Lent?
Lent is an old English word meaning
'lengthen'. Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer.
The colour purple
Purple is the symbolic colour used in
some churches throughout Lent, for drapes and altar frontals.
Purple is used for two reasons:
firstly because it is associated with mourning and so anticipates the pain and
suffering of the crucifixion, and secondly because purple is the colour
associated with royalty, and celebrates Christ's resurrection and sovereignty.
East and West
Both the eastern and western churches
observe Lent but they count the 40 days differently.
The western church excludes Sundays
(which is celebrated as the day of Christ's resurrection) whereas the Eastern
Church includes them.
The churches also start Lent on
different days.
Western churches start Lent on the
7th Wednesday before Easter Day (called Ash Wednesday).
Eastern churches start Lent on the
Monday of the 7th week before Easter and end it on the Friday 9 days before
Easter. Eastern churches call this period the 'Great Lent'.
The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.

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