The United Methodist Church states, "It is a time of preparation and focus, reminiscent of Jesus' time in the wilderness before he started his public ministry. This year, Lent begins on Wednesday, February 17, The first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday.
On Ash Wednesday, priests gather ashes from the previous Palm Sunday more on that later and rub them on congregants' foreheads. They do this while citing Genesis " For you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Another option is to give themselves to a cause, which could include volunteering.
There's an entire list of events leading up to the finale that's called Holy Week. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. This marks Jesus's arrival in Jerusalem, where he received palm branches at his feet, according to 40Acts.
During Palm Sunday services, churchgoers are given palm crosses that are supposed to be kept until the next year. That's followed by Maundy Thursday and commemorates Jesus's last supper—this is the official end of Lent, but not the finish of Holy Week.
Next is Good Friday, when Christians recall the crucification of their savior. After the race, Liberal was leading with 26 wins to Olney's Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for Western Christian churches. It's a day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent fast. Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some other churches hold special services at which worshippers are marked with ashes as a symbol of death and sorrow for sin.
The service draws on the ancient Biblical traditions of covering one's head with ashes, wearing sackcloth, and fasting. In Ash Wednesday services churchgoers are marked on the forehead with a cross of ashes as a sign of penitence and mortality.
The minister or priest marks each worshipper on the forehead, and says remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return , or a similar phrase based on God's sentence on Adam in Genesis The modern practice in Roman Catholic churches nowadays is for the priest to dip his right thumb in the ashes and, making the Sign of the Cross on each person's forehead, say: Remember, that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return or a variation on those words.
At some churches the worshippers leave with the mark still on their forehead so that they carry the sign of the cross out into the world. At other churches the service ends with the ashes being washed off as a sign that the participants have been cleansed of their sins. The ashes used on Ash Wednesday are made by burning the palm crosses that were blessed on the previous year's Palm Sunday.
Ashes can also be bought from Church suppliers. The use of anointing oil also reminds the churchgoer of God's blessings and of the anointing that took place at their baptism. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, so when the crosses used in the Palm Sunday service are converted to ashes, the worshippers are reminded that defeat and crucifixion swiftly followed triumph.
But using the ashes to mark the cross on the believer's forehead symbolises that through Christ's death and resurrection, all Christians can be free from sin. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.
While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets CSS if you are able to do so. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. Lent Last updated Lent Find this year's dates in the multifaith calendar Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar.
Why 40 days? 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? The colour purple Purple is the symbolic colour used in some churches throughout Lent, for drapes and altar frontals.
Over time, the word Lent came to be more specifically defined as the 40 day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Both Catholics and Protestants celebrate Lent; Lent is more popular among Catholic believers, but the tradition is growing among evangelicals.
According to a LifeWay Christian Research study:. Eastern Orthodox Christians also celebrate Lent but on a slightly different schedule. The BBC states,. 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. 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'. Most people give up a favorite food product or beverage, and many Catholics still abstain from meat on Lenten Fridays. Others may give up something they enjoy or something that distracts them from reflection like video games, television, or even social media.
According to the LifeWay Christian Research study cited above,. Additional prayer 39 percent , giving to others 38 percent or fasting from a bad habit 35 percent are also popular. Fasting from a favorite activity is less common 23 percent. Fasting from a favorite food or beverage is more common out West 62 percent than in the Northeast 42 percent.
Young Americans, those 18 to 24, who observe Lent are more likely to choose this option 86 percent than those over 65 43 percent. Catholics 64 percent are more likely give up a food or drink than Protestants 43 percent. Giving something up for Lent does not lend you any merit toward your own salvation, justification, or sanctification.
On the topic of fasting, Crosswalk. Yet, if done correctly, it can be a powerful time of renewing your relationship with God. Fasting can be found in both the Old Testament and the New, with Moses Exodus ; Deuteronomy ,18 , Elijah 1 Kings , and our Lord Matthew all participating in day fasts.
Fasting is a way of denying ourselves the excesses of life so that we might be more attuned to the Lord's voice. It is also a way of disciplining yourself, strengthening your "spiritual muscles" so to speak, so that when temptations arise in life, you are already used to saying "no" to your desires.
And finally, fasting is also a way of participating, in a small way, in the sufferings of Christ and can be particularly powerful when accompanied by prayer and confession.
A word of caution: although fasting can be a wonderful spiritual exercise, it is also an easy one to abuse. Make sure that when you fast, you do not deprive yourself so much that you do harm to your body. Fasting should only be practiced by adults and mature teens. On the spiritual front, Jesus warns us to guard against pride while fasting Matthew , Matthew There is nothing in Scripture that requires a day fast before you can celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The Bible is clear that the resurrection and the promise of salvation are to be celebrated every day not just on Easter Sunday.
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