Lent

I started going to Ash Wednesday services when I was working in New York City, in an office a few blocks from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

“There is a balm in Gilead,” the choir sang in the cathedral. I knew which teas she kept in a jar and the taste of the persimmon cookies she made. Ash Wednesday not as a private meditation but as a communal practice; Ash Wednesday in a place I lived rather than a place I visited: This was the remembrance I needed. From my vantage point on the stage, I watched my fellow congregants, only 15 of them, form a line and approach the altar. The ashes in the bowl are made from the fronds of the palms we waved the year before. From our place on the stage, my husband and I sang our way through the service. There can be a strange beauty in the difficult and the macabre, in silence and penitence. John the Divine, I am part of the life of this congregation. If we’re not careful, Lent in the life of the church can be like a John Keats ode, a tragic play, or a sad song: there to provide emotional release. Was it wrong to look forward to a service about a subject—my sin, my death—that I was supposed to face with fear and trembling? In the Howells Requiem, in Bach’s St. I went to the cathedral only on special occasions like Ash Wednesday, when the professional choir would sing polyphony and spirituals and Gregorian chants.

Often there isn't much time to prepare for the 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, beyond a hasty resolution to give up something — alcohol, fast ...

But what he means when he says that it should be a perpetual Lent isn’t that the monk should be perpetually miserable, because he emphasizes that Lent is a joyful season because it orients our eyes toward what is the source of our joy, which is Christ’s Pasch. The important thing at the end of Lent is to ask: Have I arrived? At the end of Lent, is it good to look back and ask ourselves if we’ve observed the season well? Pasolini devoted it to Pope John XXIII, and it is a moving and, I think, extremely realistic depiction of the Gospel. A crucial aspect of almsgiving is hollowing out that capacity for mercy in myself and touching that vulnerable core where my heart is touched in compassion by the need and the misery of others. It’s an ecstatic practice in the strict sense of that word: It helps me to step outside myself and toward the other, and to grow in attentiveness. And Easter is the assurance that life eternal is restored to us. The Church teaches that Lent should be a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. And the whole point of Lent is to prepare us precisely for Christ’s victory over death. And that’s the really important thing: that these 40 days aren’t just a time during which we have to grit our teeth in order to arrive at our destination. To ground us in the real, which the Church is good at doing, if we listen. Benedict](https://www.solesmes.com/sites/default/files/upload/pdf/rule_of_st_benedict.pdf), which says that “the life of a monk ought always to have a Lenten character”?

We will hear the words drawn from Genesis 3:19 and Psalm 103: “Remember, you are dust and unto dust you will return.” These words not only remind us of the ...

We will revel in God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We should do them quietly and as a way of thanking God for his mercy to us. If indeed we stand in need of God’s mercy, we should not trumpet our deeds of mercy. Lent is the season of fundamentals. Lent is therefore a season that brings us face to face with the fundamentals of our life. We will hear the words drawn from Genesis 3:19 and Psalm 103: “Remember, you are dust and unto dust you will return.” These words not only remind us of the shortness of life but also of our origins, for as we read in Genesis, God formed Adam out of the dust of the ground.

A Reflection for Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time, by Zac Davis.

When we ask “What should I give up for Lent?” Jesus comes back around and asks us the same thing he asked Bartimeaus: “What do you want me to do for you?” The weaning off of bad habits, the grief of giving up an unhealthy attachment. The answers to these questions are deeply personal, which is why there is no shortcut, no Buzzfeed quiz or flowchart to tell you what you should give up for Lent. I find this to be a perfectly normal way of proceeding. There is adversity coming in the second half, but remember your training and persevere. I take it as no coincidence that the reading comes just before our annual Lenten journey begins.

What is Lent? Lent represents the 40 days Jesus wandered the desert praying and fasting after he was baptized. It is a period of reflection, prayer and penance.

Meat isn't the only thing you can give up for Lent. Lent ends on Holy Thursday, which is April 6, when there is a Mass to represent Jesus' last supper. Sundays during Lent are not "prescribed days" of fasting and abstinence, so those don't count. The ashes also represent penance – sackcloth and ashes. The ashes represent two Biblical themes. [Ash Wednesday](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2023/02/06/when-is-ash-wednesday-lent-easter-sunday-2023-dates-to-know/69877207007/), the [day after Mardi Gras](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2023/02/06/when-is-fat-tuesday-mardi-gras-2023/69866182007/) and the start of the Christian Lenten season that leads up to Easter.

In time for Ash Wednesday tomorrow—and in the heart of El Paso—PETA has erected a sky-high message in the parking lot of Wendy's, which is serving fish In ...

In addition, 38 million tons of other aquatic animals are unintentionally caught each year to satisfy humans’ demand for “seafood.” Animals are not mentioned in Genesis 1:29, which states that God provides “every seed-bearing plant” and “every tree whose fruit contains seed” as food for humans. Despite all this, more fish are killed for food each year than all other animals combined. “PETA is encouraging people to observe a Lent that’s kind to all, because fish feel pain and fear, just as all animals do,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat,” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers a Nearly 80% of El Paso’s residents are Catholic.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, an important time for Catholics and Christians leading up to Easter.

"Say yes to other things that are that are important, whether it's serving others, engaging in prayer or what have you." Johnston calls Lent a "period of purification and enlightenment." On Ash Wednesday, worshipers are also supposed to fast, allowing themselves to have one meal during the day. It may appear odd, but it is a mark people that practice Catholicism, as well as Christianity, receive at mass on Ash Wednesday, one of the "most popular and important holy days" in the religion. Ash Wednesday is always six and a half weeks before Easter. After a person receives their ashes, they aren't required to leave it on or take it off following Mass, but people typically leave them on for the rest of the day.

Looking for inspiration on your Easter journey? These bold new devotionals will shore up your spirit. By Julie McGonegal. | February 21, 2023 ...

[Give the gift](https://kck.kckglobal.com/brdv/New-Gift-subscription.aspx?keycode=V21FGWBEND)of Broadview to someone special in your life and make a difference! Lent is a time to examine the mess we’re in and to repent, believing that transformation and rebirth are on the other side. [Subscribe](https://kck.kckglobal.com/brdv/special-offer-page-2.aspx?keycode=V21C2WBEND)to our magazine and you’ll receive intelligent, timely stories and perspectives delivered to your home 8 times a year. There are a number of ways to do so: The authors remind us that age-old religious concepts like self-denial and sacrifice were always intended to have a public, communal component. The climate catastrophe, a lingering pandemic and persistent inequality all make it hard to resist the pull of pessimism.

The holy holiday is meant to open up Christians to spiritual reflection and to connect with God through communal fasting and prayer. Ash Wednesday occurs ...

However, the Eastern Orthodox begin their Lenten season on a Monday rather than Wednesday. Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists, and Methodists are the denominations within the Western Christian world that recognizes Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday occurs approximately six weeks before Easter Sunday — the resurrection of the Christian savior and begotten The main practice of Ash Wednesday is to place ashes on the foreheads of each member of a Catholic congregation. The overall purpose of Ash Wednesday is to honor the 40 days Christ spent in the desert by fasting and practicing self-control. The overall purpose of Ash Wednesday is to honor

The annual religious observance is followed by millions of Christians worldwide, culminating in Easter celebrations.

The period of acknowledgement of the 40 days the Bible says Christ spent in the desert begins exactly 46 days before Easter. As with Ramadan, Lent is not held on the same dates each year. Observers usually attend special church services on the first day to prepare.

Living a compassionate freedom during Lent, we can have a joy to celebrate at Easter that the world cannot give us and cannot take away from us.

A Catholic priest and Jesuit of the New England/Maryland Province, he is the author of “Real Philosophy for Real People and Christendom Lost and Found. We would not be surprised that Christ the Man of Sorrows awaits our compassion as he suffers in the oppressed and in victims of violence. That is the kind of Lenten discipline we need, especially if we have never lived such a Lent before. One of the great Christian mysteries is that Christ, risen and victorious, is still to be found in this life as the Man of Sorrows. Compassion is a voice and act of stubborn love, telling the sufferer, “You have an identity, dignity and destiny beyond this present darkness, a darkness that will not last. Such a way of compassion certainly does not preclude the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, but it does put them into a new and better context.

Lent is the six-week period before Easter when Christians (usually from a Catholic, Orthodox or Anglican background) will prepare their hearts for the ...

Murphy emphasizes the intention behind observing Lent is to focus on loving God and loving others well. This year, Ascension is gathering on three Wednesday nights throughout the season to enjoy fellowship with one another. In this way, a believer is making room in their life to quiet themselves and hear from God. “The question is, how are we personally drawn into the world in a way that stops [us] from listening to God?” Lent is the six-week period before Easter when Christians (usually from a Catholic, Orthodox or Anglican background) will prepare their hearts for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This season has been observed by the church for hundreds of years, focusing on dedication to Christ as an individual and a community.

Marilyn McGill receives ashes during a drive-thru Ash Wednesday ceremony at Christ United Methodist Church in Millcreek on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. On Ash ...

The book, “Wake Up with Purpose: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years,” recounts “her life story, offers spiritual guidance and shares some of the lessons she’s learned,” according to Louis, which still looks VERY MUCH like [a church](https://twitter.com/zillowgonewild/status/1625691816086364161). She’s been working at Loyola University Chicago since the 1990s and got involved with the men’s basketball team after being asked to help the players boost their grades, The Associated Press reported. One Jewish student told the paper that the situation can make campus members feel as if remaining faithful while in college is an impossible task. Lent: Lent is the 40-day period of penance that leads up to Easter. Easter: Easter is the main event! Easter is on Sunday, April 9, this year. Ash Wednesday: Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent. Palm Sunday always takes place the Sunday before Easter. Palm Sunday: Palm Sunday commemorates the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem ahead of his crucifixion. I regret to inform you that the time really and truly has come to put away your last few Christmas decorations. Mardi Gras: Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the last hurrah before Lent arrives.

The observance of Ash Wednesday starts off the holy period of Lent with an intimate mass liturgy in the Catholic church. Senior psychology major Hannah ...

“It is giving things up, but it’s also giving them up in order to bring you closer to God.” “I will leave them on until I go to sleep because I think it’s a really cool way to evangelize to other people,” Fender said. During Lent, Catholics may choose to abstain from a particular activity or thing to show appreciation for their Savior. “What you have on this Earth is nothing compared to the treasures in heaven.” Because Catholics believe Jesus sacrificed himself for them on Good Friday, they refrain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Priests apply them in the form of crosses after blessing them with holy water.

The 19ft tall cross will hang from York Minster's Central Tower until the Feast of Pentecost in May.

The cross hangs in front of York Minster's Grand Organ and will be the focal point during events and services throughout Lent and Easter. The Lent Cross arrived at the cathedral on Tuesday ahead of Ash Wednesday. A huge wooden cross has been suspended from York Minster's Central Tower, to mark the start of Lent.

Today is Ash Wednesday which in the Christian faith is the first day of Lent occurring six-and-a half weeks before Easter.

In the Bible, ashes are a symbol of repentance and death. The ash sets followers free from sin and death. On this day, Christians attend Mass/Service and religious leaders draw the sign of a cross with ashes onto their foreheads.

Lent is a period of spiritual preparation for Easter Sunday, the celebration of the resurrection, which falls this year on April 9. In his 2023 message for Lent ...

“The light that Jesus shows the disciples is an anticipation of Easter glory, and that must be the goal of our own journey, as we follow ‘him alone,’” he said. “During this liturgical season, the Lord takes us with him to a place apart,” Pope Francis said. “We need to set out on the journey, an uphill path that, like a mountain trek, requires effort, sacrifice, and concentration.” “We need to listen to Jesus,” Pope Francis said this week. Clergy applying the ashes will quote Genesis: “You are dust and to dust you shall return,” a reminder of human mortality. On Ash Wednesday, many Christians fast and begin penance by giving up something for Lent.

“Lent has a very deep meaning for us Christians, which comes from the history of salvation that we find in sacred scripture. It is a time of conversion, of ...

- Liturgy of the Word in Spanish - Noon - Ash Wednesday Mass in English and 4 p.m. “The liturgy is full of symbolism. and 11 a.m. A common sign of the season is seeing parishioners with ash on their foreheads. It goes according to the seasons. - Ash Wednesday Mass in English Starting on Ash Wednesday and ending at the start of Holy Week, just after Palm Sunday. There are more than 1 million members of the Catholic Church, according to the Diocese of Phoenix. It is a time of conversion, of returning to God,” said the Rev. Eleazar Perez-Rodriguez, the vicar of St.

A reflection taken from every Lenten message written by Pope Francis' since the beginning of his pontificate!

[message ](https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/papa-francesco_20171101_messaggio-quaresima2018.html)Pope Francis was inspired by this verse from the Gospel of Matthew : “Because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold” (24:12). The Synod is a process on the reflection on the future of the Church, which the Pope began in 2021 and that should last until 2024. He explained that “Lazarus teaches us that other persons are a gift” and that Lent is a favorable season “for opening the doors to all those in need.” On the other hand the rich man gives us a “dramatic glimpse of the corruption of sin, which progresses in three successive stages: love of money, vanity, and pride.” He reminded that “the mystery of divine mercy is revealed in the history of the covenant between God and his people,” as he is always ready to treat them with “deep tenderness and compassion.” So then, while we have the opportunity (kairós), let us do good to all” (6:9-10). Lastly, “to experience Lent with love means caring for those who suffer or feel abandoned.” He associated these three cues for this solemn season with the acts of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. “At the root of all [the rich man’s] ills was the failure to heed God’s word. Following his own advice, he focused his text on the parable of the rich man and the poor man Lazarus (cf. “Lent is a favorable season for deepening our spiritual life through […] fasting, prayer and almsgiving. “The love of God breaks through that fatal withdrawal into ourselves which is indifference.” “Indifference to our neighbor and to God […] represents a real temptation for us Christians.

According to the Catholic Church, “Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy ...

Different from a traditional new year’s resolution, Lent has a precise 40-day window for you make a change that helps you grow in faith or make space in your life to live out your faith. [Pray a rosary ](https://scdiocese.org/rosary-stations-of-the-cross-prayers)before picking up your remote or switch to enjoy some downtime. The aim of Lent is increased spiritual fervor — a refocusing on prayer, fasting and almsgiving, which should always be a strong part of the Christian walk, but are highlighted in our lives in a special way during Lent.” [Station of the Cross](https://holycrosssc.org/stations-of-the-cross) and/or a [Fish Fry](https://siouxcityjournal.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/casting-the-net-fish-fries-help-churches-with-outreach/article_322fefa5-d3ea-5546-b90c-6f5645ff8c9a.html) event. This period of sacrifice helps us to appreciate the gifts that God has given us, included his only son, Jesus, and the sacrifices he made so that we might live with free will. ](https://hbr.org/2021/11/how-to-write-a-meaningful-thank-you-note) [ ](https://hbr.org/2021/11/how-to-write-a-meaningful-thank-you-note)Abstain from alcohol or other drugs.

The 40-day period leads up to Holy Week, some of the most sacred days in the church calendar – including Easter, which commemorates Christians' central belief ...

“The brain becomes tolerant to sugar – and more is needed to attain the same ‘sugar high.’” Digital fasting often buys into the idea of “technological determinism,” which often portrays technology as something dehumanizing and all-powerful. “The notion of sugar addiction is still a rather taboo topic,” Lewis noted. Christians live out Lent in many different ways. The delight it brings most people is a “natural reward,” an incentive to keep eating carbohydrates. Spiritually, however, its purpose is preparation: a time of fasting and prayer before the joy of Easter. In part, the practice exists to call churchgoers to repentance as they begin the spiritual journey of Lent. Christian churches have used ashes to demonstrate repentance for centuries, but that isn’t to say the practice is unchanging. But if Easter is associated with celebration and triumphal joy, Lent is more a season of soul-searching and spiritual discipline. [he wrote](https://theconversation.com/why-do-christians-wear-ashes-on-ash-wednesday-91556). The 40-day period leads up to Holy Week, some of the most sacred days in the church calendar – including Easter, which commemorates Christians’ central belief that Jesus was crucified and buried before rising from the dead. [Johnston wrote](https://theconversation.com/4-things-to-know-about-ash-wednesday-112120).

Each Ash Wednesday, our pews are overflowing. How can we turn our Lenten promises into a dialogue with those who might not usually attend Mass outside of ...

Some of the most common things I hear in Lent are “This reminds me of my family” (or “my parents” or “my grandparents”) and “I do this because I’m Catholic” (or “Christian”). Getting to know the story of a newcomer and gently reaching out to support them in their joys and struggles can go a long way to turning a forgettable moment of return into a memorable milestone along the journey of faith. Just imagine what would happen if all the people of the church were attentive and present to those who reconnect on Ash Wednesday and during Lent. When experiences of Lent are streamlined, calm and quiet, many people find the peace and refuge they so desperately crave amid the craziness of life. The mark of ashes on the forehead signals a fresh start. Within a social media culture especially, our “imperfect” lives are constantly visible to others, and we see how “perfect” everyone else’s life seems to be. The reasons for this phenomenon are often as varied as the number of people in the pews. Some call those individuals “spiritual but not religious.” No matter the name, a good number do find solace in the spirituality of the Lenten season. To commit to a 40-day fast is quite “doable” to many people. There are several common threads that have emerged in my listening with people, despite the very specific nuances of each one’s story. The very thing that many active churchgoers wish for (“if only more people would come to Mass”) finally comes to pass. These staggering numbers go squarely against the observations of pundits and prognosticators who claim that most Americans, especially youth and young adults, are done with religion.

The readings for the First Sunday of Lent provide an opportunity to discern two voices: the voice of the tempter and the voice of the Spirit.

Lent is a time to hear Jesus clearly speak: “Get away, Satan!” Lent is a time to hear clearly the voice that comes from the source of life. Satan the prosecutor has merged with the serpent of Genesis as well as traditions of other biblical divine opponents to become the preeminent transcendental personification of evil. The idea of a being like Satan has developed over time in our faith tradition. The voice of this ambiguous creature planted a seed of doubt for the first pair of humans, a seed that grew into an inheritance that we now call the doctrine of original sin. Jesus silences the voice of the tempter, “Get away, Satan! The readings for the First Sunday of Lent provide an opportunity to discern two voices: the voice of the tempter and the voice of the Spirit.