What is Lent all about and why do people fast during it? Discover the meaning and traditions of the great Lenten season of the Christian faith as we explore the deep history of this time before Easter Sunday. Jump to a particular aspect of Lent in the table of contents below.
Lent: Table of Contents
- What Is Lent?
- Meaning and Purpose of Lent
- Key Dates During Lent
- Who Celebrates Lent?
- Suggestions for What to Give Up for Lent
- Bible Verses for Lenten Season
- Lenten Prayer
What Is Lent?
Lent is 40 days long and is the six-week season that leads up to Easter. The Lenten season is one of the most significant times of the year for many Christians around the world, especially those within the Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox churches, held at a comparable level of meaning to Advent, the arrival of Christmas.
This year, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14th, 2024.
While Advent is a time of rejoiceful anticipation, Lent is commonly regarded as a period of sober observance. The Lenten season is a preparation for commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. Ash Wednesday starts Lent with a day of remembering our humanity, the reality of death, and the need for repentance. Churches symbolize this by putting ashes on foreheads, often in the shape of a cross, and reciting "ashes to ashes dust to dust."
From its start date on Ash Wednesday to its conclusion on Easter Sunday, Lent has been a customary time for fasting, giving something up, or abstinence. Just as we thoughtfully prepare for events in our individual lives, such as weddings or birthdays, participating in Lent invites us to prepare our minds and hearts for glorifying Jesus’ life, death, and bodily resurrection.
Download your FREE copy of our 40-Day Lent and Easter Devotional - filled with daily Scriptures, reflections, and prayers for the Lent season.
Lent's Meaning and Purpose
Lent is meant to be a time of repentance. A humble understanding of knowing that we are all born with the curse of sin and that repentance is required. The purpose of Lent is to fully recognize our brokenness as humans and the need for a Savior. The time period of Lent allows us to reflect and open our hearts to Jesus.
The main observation of Lent, fasting, is done to clear distractions and focus on Christ. Giving up something and replacing it with prayer and worship gives way to a deeper relationship with God.
"A more profound and closer communion with God is the reward of sacrifice and devotion. His love and one’s salvation are not reliant on denying oneself chocolate or beer, but idolatry stands in the way of worshiping the one true God. These 40 days are set aside to praise and worship the Lord; to read the Bible more, and to pray more often. Christians who observe Lent correctly anticipate deeper intimacy with the Lord, which is the blessing; they do not expect rewards such as more favorable answers to prayer or the resolution of health concerns, although many Christians have reported that, following Lent, they experience freedom from long-standing issues." ~ Excerpt from the Meaning and Purpose of Lent by Candice Lucey
Key Dates for Lent and When It Ends
Lent is 40 days long and excludes Sundays. The exclusion of Sundays from the 40-day count is rooted in the traditional Christian belief that Sundays are a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since Sundays are considered a day of joy and not a day of fasting or penance, they are not included in the calculation of the 40 days of Lent.
Lent ends three days before the joyous celebration of Easter Sunday. This particular week leading up to Easter Sunday, called Holy Week, has deep spiritual significance within Christianity as it remembers the events of the last days of Jesus.
As mentioned above, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. Many will attend church and receive a smudge of ashes on their forehead in the shape of a cross. The ashes are a symbol of repentance, humility, and mortality, reminding believers of their need for forgiveness and the brevity of life.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. commemorating Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Crowds waved palm branches and laid cloaks on the road to honor Him.
Holy Wednesday recognizes Judas' betrayal of Jesus, a somber part of the Easter narrative.
Maundy Thursday, the final day of Lent, commemorates the Last Supper and the institution of Holy Communion. It also commemorates Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet and His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The most solemn day of Lent, Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross. Many Christians participate in solemn services and reflections on this day.
Easter Sunday is the culmination of Lent, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is the most joyful and significant day in the Christian calendar.
Why is Lent 40 Days Long?
The forty days of Lent (not counting Sundays) honor the period of time similar to multiple stories in the Bible:
Jesus retreated into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days and was tempted by the devil ( Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2).
The Hebrew people wandered 40 years in the desert while traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33)
Jonah's prophecy of judgment gave 40 days to the city of Nineveh in which to repent or be destroyed (Jonah 3:4).
Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18)
Elijah spent 40 days and nights walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8)
God sent 40 days and nights of rain in the great flood of Noah (Genesis 7:4)
Read more about the meaning and significance of "40 Days and 40 Nights" in the Bible.
Who Celebrates Lent?
You may think that all Christians celebrate and traditionally observe the Lenten season, but that's actually not the case. While some Christians dutifully follow the customs of Lent, others do not participate in traditional Lenten practices such as strict fasting. Christians who honor and abide by the historical Lent tradition include Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Lutherans, and Methodists.
Observing Lent and What to Give Up for Lent
Whether you attend a church that observes Lenten traditions or not, everyone can participate in the purpose of lent to set aside time to reflect, repent, and grow. Here are three things you can do this Lenten season:
Repent of sin.
Identify a sinful activity that keeps coming up in your life, something you know you need to work on. If you can't think of one, pray and ask God if there is any sin he wants you to know about. You can probably identify several sins, but choose one for now so you don't lose focus during Lent. Confess that sin to God and ask for repentance. If you are in a church community with Christians you trust to hold you accountable, arrange to talk to each other about how you're doing.
Set a prayer time.
If you don't already, pick a time each day, or a day of the week, to spend time with God in prayer. There are many prayer guides or Christian contemplation techniques, such as lectio divina, that you can use to guide this time. If you want a Bible passage to meditate on during this time, consider reading the passion story or something else Lent-related.
Choose something to fast from.
Fasting is traditionally associated with food, but you can fast from anything you ordinarily devote lots of time to. Some Christians will fast from video games, junk food, or non-Christian music during Lent. Use the time you normally spend on those activities in prayer or contemplation. If you have other Christians in your life who are interested in fasting, consider becoming each others' accountability partners. Remember that the important thing is not to make fasting an obligation but something that focuses your mind on God. Therefore, have grace with yourself and with others if you stop fasting or only do it for part of the Lenten season.
Here are 15 common things that individuals may choose to give up for Lent:
- Chocolate: Many people opt to abstain from chocolate or sweets during Lent as a form of self-denial.
- Soda or Sugary Drinks: Giving up sugary beverages like soda or energy drinks can promote healthier habits.
- Social Media: A break from social media platforms can create more time for prayer, reflection, and in-person interactions.
- Meat: Some Christians abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent as a form of penance.
- Fast Food: Avoiding fast food helps individuals adopt healthier eating habits.
- Alcohol: Abstaining from alcohol can promote sobriety and self-control.
- Smoking or Vaping: Lent is an opportunity to quit smoking or vaping and focus on improving health.
- Caffeine: Giving up caffeine, such as coffee or tea, can be challenging but may lead to reduced dependency.
- Online Shopping: Avoiding online purchases helps curb unnecessary spending and materialism.
- Swearing: Some people choose to give up using profanity during Lent to promote better speech.
- TV or Streaming Services: Reducing screen time can create more space for prayer, reading, or spending time with loved ones.
- Video Games: Temporarily giving up video games can encourage productivity and self-discipline.
- Gossip: Abstaining from gossip and negative talk can foster healthier relationships.
- Junk Food: Cutting out junk food and processed snacks can lead to better nutrition.
- Sleeping In: Waking up earlier for prayer or meditation can promote a more focused and productive day.
Remember that the goal of giving up something for Lent is not merely self-deprivation but rather a means to grow spiritually, develop self-discipline, and draw closer to one's faith. People may choose to give up different things based on their personal goals and the nature of their Lenten observance.
Bible Verses for Lenten Season
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
READ MORE: Lent Bible Verses to Encourage Your Preparation for Easter
Lenten Prayer
O Lord and Master of my life!
Take from me the spirit of laziness,
faint-heartedness, desire for power, and idle talk.
But give your servant
the spirit of chastity,
humility, patience, and love.
Yes, Lord and King!
Grant me to see my own errors
and not to unjustly or hastily judge my brother,
for you are blessed, now and forever. Amen.
Source: Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem, the Syrian
Further reading: 10 Prayers for Lent
Sources
The History of Lent | The Good Shepherd Orthodox Church
What Is Lent: Honoring the Sacrifice of Jesus | Crosswalk.com
What is Lent? | 40acts.org.uk
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