What is Lent? Should I observe it?
I grew up as a died-in-the-wool Southern Baptist. We did not observe Lent. I would not have known it existed if it hadn’t been for my Catholic cousins. All I knew was that it had to do with something to do with eating fish and not meat.
Lent
The word “Lent” came from the Old English lencten meaning springtime, spring,” and “from the West Germanic langitinaz meaning “long days or lengthening of the day.” Merriam-Webster defines Lent as “the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by the Roman Catholic, Eastern, and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting.” Lent is indeed a time of repentance and should bring a deep awareness of the price Jesus paid so that we would not be eternally separated from God the Father by our sins.
Fat Tuesday
Even though I grew up roughly 3 hours from New Orleans, the Fat Tuesday capital of the world, I was clueless. As it turns out, Mardi Gras, celebrated lavishly in NOLA, means Fat Tuesday in French. It is a time of many festivities, including parades, parties, and gastronomic excess of adult beverages and rich foods, because then comes Ash Wednesday and the observance of Lent. However, it wasn’t always that way. Fat Tuesday is also known as Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is the past tense of the word shrive, which refers to a priest hearing a confession, assigning penance, and forgiving the sins of the penitent. There was generally one last feast before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of fasting. It was initially a solemn day that has morphed into something altogether different in most places.
Ash Wednesday
As a kid, I always saw Ash Wednesday marked on a calendar and had no idea what it meant. Ash Wednesday begins Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays).
Many churches use ashes from the palm branches of the previous Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, churches bless and hand out palm branches to attendees, referencing the Gospels’ account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when onlookers lay palm branches on his path. The ashes placed on the forehead in the sign of the cross symbolize two main things: death and repentance. The ashes are an outward sign that we acknowledge and repent of our sins, and without Christ, there is only death.
Should I observe Lent?
Lent prepares our hearts for the celebration of Easter. It puts Jesus’ sacrifice in its proper place in our hearts and minds. If that resonates with you, there’s no better way to start than by observing Lent. Food isn’t the only thing people fast from during the Lenten season. Search for yourself and find something that would be hard to give up.
10 popular things that people fast from during the Lenten season:
- Social Media
- Video Games (including your phone)
- TV and Streaming Services
- Makeup
- Spending freeze
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Procrastination
- Cussing or Using Profanity
- Gossip
What am I giving up for Lent?
This year I am replacing my time mindlessly playing video games on my phone with reading devotionals instead. I have used the You Version app on my phone and have already downloaded devotionals that are ready to go. This way, I’m using my downtime with the Word of God instead of on some brainless video game just because I’m bored. What will you choose? Let me know in the comments what you chose.
