Discovering the Saints

The word “Lent” comes from the Teutonic word for spring and refers to a 40 day fast preceding Easter that is observed by Catholic, Orthodox, and some Protestant, churches. Also called the “Great Lent” it is the most important fast of the entire year. In the first several centuries after the Apostles there was no one single tradition regarding when to celebrate Easter or how to prepare for it, but those preparations always included some kind of preliminary fast. This fast was initially only observed by catechumenates, people who had been studying and preparing for baptism, and Easter was a popular date for baptisms. Eventually it became encouraged for all members of the congregation to observe some sort of fast in preparation for Easter itself.

In the fourth century the ancient church was no longer persecuted and efforts were made, beginning with the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), to standardize Christian practice, doctrine, and religious observance. It is about this time that a formal 40 day fast, modeled after Christ’s 40 day fast, was instituted as a mandatory practice in preparation for Easter.

There are other days and seasons set aside for fasting, some Catholics and Orthodox still observe the ancient practice of a weekly fast on Friday and Saturday in remembrance of Christ’s death and time spent in the tomb. The Lent fast is meant to be a season of increased focus, intention, and intensity in repentance and fasting in preparation for Easter.

There are three “pillars” of Lent that guide the believer in how they focus their efforts during this season, “Fasting”, “Alms Giving” (charity/service), and “Prayer”. The Lenten fast includes reduced food intake (but not a total fast) along with some kind of personal fast being encouraged. A personal fast is traditionally some food item like all alcohol, sweets, or meat. Now believers are encouraged to focus just as much on what they “add in” as much as take out of their life. A Lenten fast could also be increasing gratitude while “fasting” from complaining, or “fasting” from social media while spending that time that would have been used online in increased scripture reading. A Lenten fast can be anything that would be a genuine sacrifice with the intention to use it to draw closer to Christ. “Alms-giving” can likewise take many forms, from volunteer work, to literally increasing your fast offerings to the church, or even doing some purging of your own belongings as a means of assessing where you may be over consuming in other areas of life besides food. The pillar “Prayer” is a call to increase the amount of time spent daily in prayer. There are numerous guides and devotionals tailored to the Lenten season to help the believer learn how to pray and listen to the Spirit longer and more deeply.

The spiritual insights and self-reflection gained during Lent helps set the tone for the upcoming year and can help identify areas of growth. But the ultimate goal is to become more united with Christ and one with his mission and suffering as we prepare for the memorial of his death and resurrection that is the pinnacle event of the liturgical year, Holy Week and Easter.

Catholic Tradition

For Catholics the season of Lent lasts 40 days, not counting Sundays, and ends the weekend of Easter. Because the date of Easter shifts every year the start of Lent also varies with Ash Wednesday marking the first day of Lent. Sundays are excluded from the fast as they are the weekly memorial of Christ’s resurrection and therefore always celebratory. “St. Augustine described Sundays, ‘Fasting, is set aside and prayers are said standing, as a sign of the Resurrection, which is also why the Alleluia is sung on every Sunday.‘ Sundays are a little Easter.”

In the Catholic church the primary fast of Lent is one full meal each day and two smaller ones that together would not equal the full meal. The foods consumed should be simple and meatless. This fast is only obligatory on Fridays (which is always a memorial of Christ’s death), Ash Wednesday (beginning of Lent), and Good Friday (end of Lent).

Besides a Lent fast there are other devotional practices that Catholics (and some Protestants) participate in during the season of Lent in preparation for Easter. The most popular being The Stations of the Cross.

• My Catholic Life – Lent and Easter prayer resources
• Catholic Culture – Instruction and Advice for following the 3 Pillars of Lent
• Catholic Relief Services – Lenten Recipes

Orthodox Tradition

For Orthodox Christians Great Lent also lasts 40 days but includes Sundays, making it slightly shorter than the Lent that is observed in western churches, and concludes on Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday.

Orthodox fasting during Great Lent is stricter than that in the west. Two Sundays before Lent, called Meatfare Sunday, meat is removed from the diet for the duration of the fast. The following Sunday, called Forgiveness or Cheesefare Sunday, dairy products are removed. Fish, which is permitted in the west, wine, and oil is also removed from the diet, and although Lent concludes before Holy Week the fast itself doesn’t end until Easter.

Each week in Lent has its own theme that determines what scriptures are read and hymns sung. This guides believers in reflecting on the work of Christ and the mission of the Church before Easter.

• Orthodox Church – Fasting for Non-Monastics (a long article but an in depth examination of the who, what, why, how of fasting and its spiritual importance.)
• Pascha Basket is the Orthodox tradition of giving a gift basket of symbolic foods to friends to break the lenten fast.
• Clean Week is the week following Forgiveness Sunday where the entire congregation asks every person for forgiveness of the ways they may have sinned against each other. Confession, repentance, and even deep cleaning the home are all ways an Orthodox Christian “spring cleans” spiritually and temporally.

Art: Man of Sorrows, 1860, William Dyce. Confession, Rimma Vyugova