As a practicing Catholic, I want to only try explaining from a Catholic point of view the meaning of Lent. The other day my colleague, (a former history teacher), said he didn't realize that Catholics still did the "ashes thing", he ask me what it really meant, and I really didn't have a good answer, so I went to studying, and from research and my own up-bringing, this is what I surmise. The word Lent is an Old English word meaning, Spring. Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season with the blessing of the foreheads of Catholics from all over the world, the ashes are actually left over Palms from Palm Sunday the year before. They are burned into ashes and mixed with a bit of oil to make the ashes pasty so they'll stick. Ash Wednesday is actually a nick name, the official name is the "Day Of Ashes", because on that day the foreheads of the faithful are marked with ashes in the sign of a cross. In biblical times, a mark on the forehead was a symbol of ownership, so by having our foreheads marked with the sign of the cross, we symbolize that we belong to Jesus Christ. The Day Of Ashes also marks the beginning of our celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the lynch pin of Christianity. In Lee Strobels book, "The Case For Christ" Lee puts forth the most intelligent argument I've ever heard. Lee points out the fact that in Jesus' time, women were not only viewed as dumb as rocks, but they were the most UN-trustworthy, they just were not to be believed at that time in history, so considering this when contemplating if they were faking the Resurrection, wouldn't the Apostles have tried to use someone else to discover the body missing, and the tomb empty? Someone more trusting than women, the least trust worthy people on the planet? For me it's not even a question, I can't ever remember a time in my life when it was, I view my faith as a gift, I have to, it just comes too easy to me. Growing up a Catholic I always heard, and maybe you've heard, that Lent begins 40 days before Good Friday and ends on Easter Sunday, or even on Good Friday, well actually, it's not 40 days, it's longer, and the only explanation I can come up with, is that in biblical times, 40 days was kind of the magic number for devotion and discipline, ie. Moses stayed on the mountain for 40 days, I'm not sure the reason for the discrepancy, I just know it's not 40 days, I counted. Plus, the fact is, Lent really ends with the beginning of the celebration of the Lords Last Supper, on Holy Thursday at the beginning of the Mass, (sorry Ma). Holy Thursday is the day before Good Friday, the beginning of Jesus' Passion, and is the day/night that Jesus broke bread with his Disciples for the last time, and it is also the night He was arrested and brought before the Jewish High Priest, then ultimately to Pontious Pilate, where he was sentenced to death for Blasphemy. Jesus was crucified sometime on Friday morning, and suffered for several hours before dying between noon and 3:00pm. He was buried and on the third day rose from the dead. Lent forces Catholics to focus on one thing, the last days of the worlds Savior. We contemplate the ultimate sacrifice Jesus Christ made for humanity, we contemplate the misery, suffering and the brutal punishment of God's only Son, and His glorious Resurrection. To pay homage, we emulate the suffering by fasting, we fast by eating no meat on Ash Wednesday, and all Fridays during the season. People over the age of 12 are also asked to sacrifice something else, or "give something up", something they truly love, many chocolate lovers (my Mom & Sister) give up chocolate, others give up drinking, smoking etc., all in an effort to sacrifice as did Christ. That's Lent to me and many other Catholics, I hope I was able to shed a bit of LIGHT, no pun intended......Y
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