Meaning of Lent - What it is, Definition and Concept

Lent is known for the liturgical period of preparation prior to the celebration of Easter .Christians have a period to prepare themselves spiritually in their liturgical calendar, seek enlightenment and purify themselves.The word Lent derives from the term quadragesima of Latin which means fortieth day before Easter.

As it is a Christian custom, Lent is celebrated by the Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Anglican and Some Protestants.These churches may agree on different dates and durations for Lent according to their calendars.Although originally, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and ends before the commemoration of Holy Thursday .

We said that the liturgical period of Lent begins with the celebration of Ash Wednesday.This celebration consists of a rite of imposition of ash where the priest wears in purple tones.The purple color represents the period of Lent and means an attitude of penance, grief and sacrifice .

Lent is the liturgical period of preparation before Easter.

The liturgical period of Lent has a duration of approximately forty days .The duration arises from some biblical references, but mainly it is related to the time of Jesus' trial in the desert of Judea.The other references are: the duration of the universal flood or the 40 years that the Hebrew people marched through the desert.

As Lent represents a period of spiritual preparation, that is why it is recommended to believers strengthen their faith .This can be done through different forms of reflection or penance.It is a time to meditate and apologize for our faults.

On a historical level, it is considered that Lent began to be practiced between the second and third centuries.Rome began to celebrate Lent since the year 385 and initially had a variable duration. It was during the fourth century that the duration of 40 days was established estimating that six Sundays are counted before Easter .

Particularities about Lent

As of the sixth century, the practice of fasting during Lent began to be emphasized. However, this new tradition represented an inconvenience to the entrenched customs of Sundays.I consider that Sunday was a holiday in which the Lord was celebrated, so he never fasted.He ended up adding four more days to the Lenten period to keep fasting without counting Sundays.

It was since the fourth century that the practice of Lent with fasting, abstinence from meat and time of penance was established .It is a period of renewal throughout the Christian church that was preserved in time, however, in the West I stop practicing so strictly although it is still a time of conversion and penance.

Nowadays, strict fasting during Lent is not obligatory.On the other hand, an introspective reflection is encouraged to purify our character and our life .Exercise positive values ​​and remove negative ones, be generous and kind, as well as humble and supportive.