In Christianity, Lent is the period before Easter.
From the Latin quadragesima , the liturgical period of preparation for Easter is known as Lent . Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday , is a time of penance for the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church and certain evangelical churches.
It could be said that Lent is the forty-day period prior to Easter . This figure (the forty days) has important symbolism according to different fragments of the Bible , such as the forty-day retreat that Jesus made in the desert and Moses ' retreat in the desert for the same number of days. The biblical flood, on the other hand, lasted forty days, while the Jewish people marched for forty years through the desert.
Meaning and practices of Lent
The Church considers Lent as a time of repentance , atonement for guilt (for sins committed) and conversion. The faithful must strengthen their faith to draw closer to Christ through acts of reflection and penance.
The traditional practices of Lent, with fasting and abstinence , date back to the 4th century . It began as part of a period of renewal for the Church and is still preserved in much of the world. However, penances are becoming less rigorous, especially in Western countries. Fasting should consist of a single meal a day, while abstinence involves not eating meat.
Beyond fasting, Lent can be lived through the sacrament of Confession , prayer and positive attitudes.
Forty days of penance
It is worth mentioning that this period varied over the years. At first its duration was not fixed, but was made up of a couple of weeks, sometimes longer and sometimes less, in which people attempted to approach holiness through actions that were believed to make them better children of God. . But in the 4th century, this duration was set at 40 days and has remained unchanged ever since.
Currently, Lent is made up of six weeks , prior to Easter Sunday. The reason why this structure was established is that, since Sunday is the Lord's day, on which fasting cannot be carried out, in order for the penance to cover 40 days it was necessary to add four more days to the amount that They formed Lent in its origins. Thus being able to imitate those 40 days of fasting of Christ in the desert. Thus, Lent is made up of forty days that go from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, discounting Sundays.
Colorful eggs, an Easter tradition.
It is important to note that in ancient times this period was closely related to the time of renewal of the earth, that is, to the agricultural calendar . The position of the sun and the moon were therefore taken into account; Maintaining that custom, to this day the first day of Lent is counted after the Sunday that follows the first full moon of northern spring, in the Northern Hemisphere .
Holy Week, the end of Lent
The last week of Lent is known as Holy Week ; In these days, penance becomes even more intense and the faithful must carry out as many acts of purification as they can to get closer to that perfection theoretically preached by the Church.
In many countries during these days processions and celebrations of all kinds are held in which religious life is promoted. Unfortunately, while the church urges its followers to fast and become good people, on the other hand it continues to be in favor of inequality and does not collaborate to build a more just life for all, believers and non-believers.