What is Lent?
Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter.
During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully. We recall the waters of baptism in which we were also baptized into Christ’s death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ.
Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season. Contemplate the meaning and origins of the Lenten fasting tradition in this reflection.
In addition, the giving of alms is one way to share God’s gifts—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. As St. John Chrysostom reminds us: “Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life. The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2446).
In Lent, the baptized are called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, a period of learning and discernment for individuals who have declared their desire to become Catholics.
Why Ashes
Valentine’s Day 2024 falling on Ash Wednesday
Lent is a time of spiritual preparation for the celebration of our Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection at Easter, the holiest of days. Through prayer, fasting and works of charity, we draw closer to Jesus, deepen our faith, and prepare for eternal life.
Catholics are obliged to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the Fridays of Lent. Also, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics between the ages of 18 and 60 are obligated to fast, eating only one ordinary meal and two small meals.
These are small sacrifices that we make to remind us of the sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on the cross to save us. They also remind us to be charitable towards our neighbors who suffer from poverty. These obligations should not be set aside.
How to Live Lent this Year
Preparing for Lent – Father Mike Schmitz
With permission of Ascension Presents
Read Bishop Barres’ Pastoral Letter – The Great Week – A Pilgrimage with the Lord in Holy Week:
https://www.drvc.org/wp-content/uploads/PASTORAL-LETTER-BILINGUAL-final-version.pdf
