Lent is a sacred season in the Christian liturgical calendar, observed as a time of preparation for Easter through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Traditionally, it lasts for 40 days, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday, mirroring the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. However, in the current liturgical calendar, Lent is counted from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, up to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, while Lenten practices are maintained until the Easter Vigil, excluding Sundays. This period calls the faithful to deepen their relationship with God through acts of penance and devotion.

The Origins of Lent

The practice of Lent has deep biblical and historical roots. In the Old Testament, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes symbolized mourning, repentance, and humility before God. Job repented “in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6), while Daniel prayed and fasted in sackcloth and ashes (Daniel 9:3). Jesus Himself referenced the significance of ashes when speaking of repentance (Matthew 11:21).

The early Church developed the Lenten period as a time of spiritual preparation for Easter, drawing from these biblical themes. Lent has been celebrated by Christians all over the world for centuries. The 64th leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Gregory, set the first official period of Lent in 601 AD, according to the Museum of the Bible. At this time, Lent was 46 days, which allowed for 40 days of fasting − only one meal and no meat was allowed − with six Sundays counted as feast days. The Church emphasized Lent as a period of renewal, calling believers to deeper conversion and commitment to the Gospel.

When does Lent end?

Lent ends on Thursday, April 17, also called Holy Thursday.

Why 40 Days?

The number 40 holds profound significance in Scripture. It represents periods of purification, testing, and preparation. Moses fasted for 40 days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28), and the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33). Lent is 40 days to represent the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert before starting his own public ministry, setting an example for believers to follow in spiritual discipline.

Common Lenten Observances

The season of Lent calls for spiritual discipline and devotion, with key practices that help Christians grow in faith:

Fasting and Abstinence – Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, meaning they eat only one full meal and two smaller meals. Meat is also avoided on these days and all Fridays of Lent.

Prayer – Increased devotion through personal and communal prayers, including the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, and the Liturgy of the Hours.

Almsgiving (Charity) – Acts of kindness, generosity, and service, such as helping the poor and supporting charitable organizations.

Confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation) – Many Catholics seek confession to renew their souls and strengthen their faith.

Reading Scripture and Spiritual Reflection – Meditating on Christ’s Passion through Bible readings, devotionals, and spiritual books.

Giving Up Something (Sacrifice) – Many Christians give up habits, such as sweets, social media, or unnecessary spending, as a form of self-discipline.

Attending Mass and Special Services – Extra Mass attendance, participation in Holy Week services (Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday), and joining Lenten missions.

The Meaning of Ashes on Ash Wednesday

The use of ashes in the liturgical tradition dates back to ancient times. Ashes symbolize mortality, repentance, and a call to conversion. In the Middle Ages, the dying were blessed with ashes as a reminder of human mortality: “Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shalt return.” Today, the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from the burned palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. The priest blesses the ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, marking them with the sign of the cross while saying, “Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return,” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Receiving ashes is not merely an outward ritual but a call to inner conversion. As we begin Lent, we are invited to turn away from sin and renew our commitment to Christ, preparing our hearts for the joy of Easter.

Fasting and Abstinence in the Catholic Church

Fasting during Lent is a spiritual practice of reducing food intake to imitate Christ’s 40 days in the desert. It’s a way to prepare for Easter, detach from worldly comforts, and focus on prayer. The Catholic Church historically observes the disciplines of fasting and abstinence (from meat) at various times each year, including the Lenten season. For Catholics, fasting is the reduction of one’s intake of food, while abstinence refers to refraining from something that is good and not inherently sinful, such as meat. The Catholic Church teaches that all people are obliged by God to perform some penance for their sins and that these acts of penance are both personal and corporeal. Bodily fasting is meaningless unless it is joined with a spiritual avoidance of sin. 

Abstaining from meat and other indulgences during Lent is a penitential practice. Abstinence laws consider that meat comes only from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep, or pigs – all of which live on land. Birds are also considered meat. Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are technically not forbidden. However, moral theologians have traditionally taught that we should abstain from all animal-derived products (except foods such as gelatin, butter, cheese, and eggs, which do not have any meat taste). Fish are a different category of animal. Salt and freshwater species of fish, amphibians, reptiles (cold-blooded animals), and shellfish are permitted.

Catholic fasting practices

  • Catholics age 14 and older are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
  • Catholics age 14 and older abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent
  • On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Catholics should eat one full meal, plus two smaller meals that do not equal a full meal.

Those who are excused from fast and abstinence outside the age limits include the physical or mentally ill, including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant or nursing women. In all cases, common sense should prevail, and ill persons should not further jeopardize their health by fasting.

During this Lenten season, let us fast an acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fast is the estrangement from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood, and perjury. Privation of these is true fasting.

This year, Roman Catholics must fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, March 5, 2025, and Good Friday, April 18, 2025.

Holy Week and Sacred Triduum (Holy Triduum / Easter Triduum)

Holy Week commemorates Jesus’ last days and crucifixion (a form of cruel capital punishment where a person is nailed to a cross). Holy Week leads up to the celebration of Easter Sunday – the day Christians celebrate Jesus rising from the dead. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. The days of Holy Week include Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday); Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday (sometimes called Spy Wednesday, in reference to Judas’ betrayal), Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday), Good Friday (Holy Friday), and Holy Saturday – the days immediately preceding Easter Sunday.

‘Triduum’ is a Latin term (meaning three days) used by the Catholic Church to denote the three days from the evening of Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) and ends on the evening of Easter Sunday. The Sacred Triduum is one continuous, three-day-long liturgy commemorating the passion, death, and resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil. The Easter Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper and ends after evening prayers at sunset on Easter Day.

Holy Triduum Activities

  • The Triduum begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) 
  • Each day of the Triduum is traditionally marked with a particular liturgy. 
  • The Triduum celebrates the Paschal Mystery, which includes Jesus’ passion, suffering, death, resurrection, and victory over sin and death. 

Palm Sunday

What is the meaning of Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Holy Week. It recalls the time Jesus last entered Jerusalem before His crucifixion. The day is called Palm Sunday, as it commemorates Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, as the crowds waved palm branches, threw cloaks on the path in front of him and shouted praises. They thought Jesus was coming as a king to overthrow Roman imperialism and had not yet understood that God’s plan was to establish an eternal kingdom to save all people.

Holy Wednesday

Holy Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday, marks the plot by Judas, who was one of Jesus’ 12 close followers, to betray Jesus to the religious authorities (the Jewish chief priests and elders). Many of the religious leaders of the time were threatened by Jesus’ popularity and had been challenged by Jesus about their hypocrisy.

Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday)

Holy Thursday is also sometimes known as the Last Supper or Maundy Thursday. It commemorates the final meal Jesus ate with his closest disciples. It was a special Jewish meal and ceremony called the Passover. Prior to the meal, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet – a job the lowliest servant would usually do. He was teaching them that leadership consists of humility and love. After the Passover meal, Judas betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders for the price of 30 pieces of silver. Jesus was then handed to the Roman authorities to be killed. Read more about this event in the Gospel of St. John Chapter 13. The Chrism Mass is usually celebrated each year on Maundy Thursday or on another day of Holy Week in a Diocese or Archdiocese.

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day when Christians and Catholics commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Good Friday commemorates a sad and dark day, full of hardship and hopelessness. The events leading up to Jesus’ death on Good Friday were filled with darkness and sorrow. Jesus experienced fear and anxiety about what lay before Him, but He knew that His mission was to suffer and experience all of God’s wrath as a substitute for what humankind deserves. God is loving, but also a God of justice. The Bible says Jesus was “sorrowful and troubled” (Matthew 26:37). But in this moment of suffering and struggle, Jesus prayed to God, His Heavenly Father, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Instead of stopping Jesus’ suffering, God gave Jesus the strength to endure the path to the cross. This was part of God’s greater plan of redemption for the people of the world who he loved so much.

Holy Saturday

This final day of Holy Week is also known as the Great Sabbath, Easter Eve, Joyous Saturday, and more. It marks a day of anticipation, meditation, and reflection, and for some, preparations for Easter Sunday celebrations. It also marks the end of Lent (fasting) that many undertake in the leadup to Easter.

Easter Sunday

Happily, the Easter story doesn’t finish with Holy Week. The day after Holy Week, on Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate Jesus rising to life again. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, Christians believe He brings light, hope, and the chance for salvation and eternal life to the world. On this day, Christians in many cultures happily greet each other with phrases such as “Christ is risen”, with the response, “He is risen indeed”. It is a day of hope, thankfulness, and joy – and a day that billions around the world celebrate. Jesus, who identified Himself as the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His sheep promises an abundant, meaningful life to those who surrender their lives to Him and follow him. “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows],” (John 10:10).

Chrism Mass

The Chrism Mass is one of the most solemn and important liturgies of the Christian Liturgical calendar. A significant Catholic liturgy that takes place during Holy Week. During the Mass, we celebrate the Institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Also, at this Mass, all Priests renew their promises in the presence of the Bishop. It is celebrated each year on Maundy Thursday in a Diocese or Archdiocese. However, for pastoral reasons, a Bishop may decide to celebrate it on another day during the Holy Week. During the Chrism Mass, the Holy Oils used for sacraments and rituals are blessed or consecrated by the Bishop or Archbishop.

The Holy Oils are:

  • Holy Chrism: This oil is used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, as well as for the consecration of altars and the dedication of churches.
  • Oil of catechumens: (formerly known as the oil of exorcism). This oil is also used in the sacrament of Baptism.
  • Oil of the Sick: This oil is used only in the rite of the Anointing of the Sick

The Oil of the Catechumens and Oil of Chrism are used on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil for the baptism and confirmation of adults or children over the age of 10 who wish to fully enter the Church.

This year, 2025, Jubilee Year of Hope, the Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday (April 13, 2025); Holy Tuesday (April 15, 2025); Holy Wednesday (April 16, 2025); Maundy Thursday (April 17, 2025); Good Friday (April 18, 2025) and it ends on Easter Sunday (April 20, 2025).

A Call to Spiritual Renewal

Lent is more than just a season of sacrifice; it is an invitation to grow in faith and love. Through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, we unite ourselves with Christ’s suffering and prepare to celebrate His resurrection. As we embark on this Lenten journey, may we embrace its call to repentance and renewal, drawing closer to God and living out our faith more fully.

May the Lord bless us all as we walk this sacred path toward Easter. Amen 🙏🏽

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