Reflections on Lent
Lent is a sacred season in the Christian calendar dedicated to reflection, repentance, and spiritual renewal in preparation for Easter. Traditionally lasting forty days, not counting Sundays, Lent recalls the forty days Jesus spent fasting and praying in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. For believers, it is a time to imitate Christ’s humility and deepen their faith through prayer, fasting, and acts of charity. The origins of Lent trace back to the early centuries of Christianity, when new converts prepared for baptism at Easter by undertaking a period of intense spiritual discipline. By the fourth century, the Church formalized this observance as a penitential season for all Christians, symbolizing the call to conversion and purification. The number forty carries biblical significance, representing periods of testing and renewal—as seen in Moses’ time on Mount Sinai and Israel’s forty years in the desert. People observe Lent in a variety of ways, but all ways should...