Letter from the Pastor
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March 9, 2025How do we get 40 days in Lent? Lent, in Latin, is Quadragesima, which means 40th. 40 is the spiritual number for penance, for fasting and repentance. When the penance is finished, we then celebrate 50 days of Easter. 50 symbolizes a jubilee year, and the forgiveness of sins.
So when does Lent actually begin? Lent (Quadragesima) begins on the First Sunday of Lent. However, penance and fasting begin on Ash Wednesday. From the first Sunday of Lent until Easter there are six weeks, which make 42 days. In the early Church, no one was allowed to fast on Sunday. Sunday is the Day of Resurrection so the six Sundays are then removed, thus having 36 days of penance. In order that the number forty days in which Christ fasted may be fulfilled; four days are added from Ash Wednesday to Saturday. Lent ends with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening. There is another fast on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, which is not a Lenten fast, rather a fast to prepare for the celebration of Easter Sunday.
Fasts were instituted in the Law of Moses. God’s chosen people were commanded to render tithes (one-tenth) of income, and first-fruits from all goods to God. In Lent, we must also do the same in regard to ourselves, that is, from our body, our mind and our time. Lent is approximately one-tenth of the year, so we offer our personal tithes and first-fruits to God during Lent.
So while Lent may seem demanding and perhaps uncomfortable, its purpose is not to cause us pain. Rather we are given an opportunity for self-examination in order to better discover our identity as the children of God and our relationship with the Lord.
Traditionally, there are the three disciplines of Lent: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. We deny ourselves a ‘thing’ so as to discipline our desires and emotions. We add prayer or spiritual readings and we perform extra acts of charity and love for our neighbor. Remember that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are only worthy if they flow from a selfless love. Without love, almsgiving is philanthropy, fasting is only hunger, and prayer is just words. Our love for God and our neighbor as well as ourselves motivates us during Lent.
Fast from a type of food you like, going out to dinner, alcohol, soda, dairy, video games, social media, secular music, gossiping, from talking.
Almsgiving give to the Cardinal’s Appeal, or your favorite charity, your parish from the money saved from not going out, donate clothes to the poor, contribute to a food pantry, call or visit someone you haven’t talked to in awhile, volunteer to help an elderly neighbor.
Prayer attend a Daily Mass or two, go to Stations of the Cross on Fridays, go to Adoration on Monday evenings, pray the Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy, read a spiritual book, check and see the bookrack near the elevator lobby, read the Bible for 15 minutes, spend time in silence, meditate on a gospel scene, make a daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament in a church.
Be creative and you will be surprised.
As we begin now on our annual adventure in Lent, may we embrace each day Lent brings as an occasion to advance in holiness and repent from our sins.
Have a Blessed Lent and don’t waste these special days.
