The Liturgical Season of Lent
- Period of 40 days
- Begins on Ash Wednesday (Ryan, 2006)
- Uncertainty regarding conclusion of Lent; Ryan (2006) suggests Lent finishes on Holy Saturday, while Kielly and Geraghty (1995) state that Lent ends with the beginning of the Easter Triduum on Holy Thursday
- Time for repentance, forgiveness and new beginnings through turning back to God in preparation for Easter
- Catholics seek to become closer to God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving (Mathson,
1996)
Origin of Season
- ‘Lent’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Lencten, meaning springtime;
originating in the northern hemisphere, Lent was celebrated during springtime
(O’Shea & Krosnicki, 2003) - Began in the early Church as a time of preparation for Catechumens, those people planning to become Christian (Kielly & Geraghty, 1995)
- 40-day duration stemmed from the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE (O’Shea & Krosnicki, 2003)
- 40 was a significant number in scripture: the Hebrews journeyed through the desert for 40
years searching for the promised land; Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert (Kielly & Geraghty, 1995) - 40-day fast was common practice by the end of the 4th century (O’Shea & Krosnicki, 2003)
- Lent today focuses less on fasting and more on “spiritual renewal” and turning away from sin in favour of God (O’Shea & Krosnicki, 2003, p.469)