Easter and Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday.

Easter is Christianity’s most ancient and important yearly feast. By the 3rd century a preparatory season of forty days — Lent — was joined to this holy time.

What do these seasons celebrate?

Easter celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, “powerful in word and deed”, who was seized and crucified by his enemies during the Passover feast in Jerusalem. On Easter morning he rose from the dead, appearing to his followers and assuring them of God’s favor. Easter recalls these events yearly.

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Lenten season from Ash Wednesday to the Mass of Holy Thursday. The Easter feast is celebrated from Holy Thursday evening till Easter Sunday, then through the Easter season which lasts till the feast of Pentecost.

They remind us of our great journey with Christ.

There are a few basic tasks that traditionally have been associated with Lent. These are fasting, almsgiving, and prayer.

• Fasting - Lent represents a spiritual training time to overcome evil. Some give up things they have an inordinate desire for, e.g. sweets, caffeine, etc. By giving these up, the person fasting learns to control a particular part of his or her life, which leads to greater self-discipline even when Lent is over. As such in Lent we are able to learn, examine, and get under control our material excesses. Whatever you decide to fast from, remember, as Steven Clark likes to say: "Lent is more than a diet." Lent is about spiritual results, not material ones. So, while losing a few pounds may be a nice side benefit, all fasting should be done for God's glory and spiritual growth.



• Prayer: Lent is a good time to develop or strengthen a discipline of daily prayer.



• Charity: While Lent is about giving something up (i.e. fasting), it is also about putting something positive in its place. The best way to remove vice is to cultivate virtue. Lent has been a traditional time of helping the poor and doing acts of charity and mercy.
  

Most importantly, let's be little bit more kind and patient during this season.