Overview:

Lent is 40 days to prepare believers for a heartier appreciation for the passion filled journey and ultimately the resurrection of Jesus.

Lent is the season on the Christian calendar that takes us back to basics and demands we remember the ABCs of our faith. 

It begins with Ash Wednesday, which is 46 days before Easter (46 because Sundays are not included in the count), and its purpose is to prepare believers for a heartier appreciation for the passion-filled journey and, ultimately, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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“Often referred to as the holiest season, Lent invites us to acknowledge that our imminent mortality is but a pretext to our never-ending story,” says Rev. Dr. Rodney L. Graves, a retired United Methodist pastor, living in Houston.

“Biblically, 40 signifies God’s period of refinement, and Lent patterns Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness being tried and tested. Through spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, and reflection, we experience renewed life.”

A Spirit of Sacrifice

But the thought of the season — and its impending approach — always prompts conversation among Christians about what we should give up for Lent. 

Giving up means substituting the time that thing or activity occupies with time in prayer, meditation, reading scripture, or serving and performing righteous deeds. 

While Lent is not mentioned in the Bible, the Old Testament speaks of donning sackcloth and ashes to denote periods of sadness, sorrow, or mourning.

So many begin their sojourn with a cross of ashes on their forehead that they received at a worship service.

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For many years now, churches have tried to make it more convenient by scheduling services multiple times a day to fit varied schedules. They’ve even chosen community locations outside the church where people could drive up and receive their ashes and continue on their way: ashes-to-go.

Some people choose sacrificial giving by making larger than usual donations to their favorite charities.

Others choose sacrificial action, such as volunteering, in lieu of giving up something. 

Righteous Action

As an example of righteous action, multiple groups launched a weekly Lenten Ceasefire Campaign, beginning with a Catholic Mass and followed by an ecumenical public witness, to call attention to and in mourning for the tens of thousands of lives destroyed in Gaza and Israel since October 7, 2023, according to a release by Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) News, a Christian Voice for Palestine.

“The organizations involved with this Lenten campaign believe the focus must shift to diplomacy, accountability mechanisms and strategic peacebuilding, and that neither war nor retribution is sustainable,” according to the statement. “We believe urgent action is needed to stop the mass slaughter, destruction and generational trauma.”

Technology and Prayer

Technology is always a helper in this age and help for Lent is no exception.

  • Hallow calls itself a Christian prayer app and offers daily prayers, meditation, sleep Bible stories, rosary, and community connections, in addition to special assistance for Lent. There’s also the option to pray with Mark Wahlberg.
  • For those who live in Brooklyn, the Diocese there offers an app for support through a Lenten Pilgrimage, for which the app is named, with information on participating churches to visit throughout the Lenten season. One can also post prayer requests.

Dr. Graves shares his prayer that our “Lenten discipline also empowers us to not only learn more about our history, but also to dedicate ourselves to making history in the here and now.”