The Traditions of Lent

Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This is season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.

Why are ashes imposed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday?
The ashes (made of burnt palms leaves from the previous Palm Sunday) are marked on the foreheads of believers in the shape of a cross as a sign of humility, penitence, and mortality. To tear one’s garments and be covered in ashes was an ancient biblical sign of mourning (Job 42:6; Jonah 3:6). In this case, it is to mourn over our own sins. A mark on the forehead is a biblical sign of ownership and protection (Ezekiel 9:4-6; Revelation 7:3). To receive ashes is to say, “I belong to Jesus, and I will trust in his mercy.” Finally, the ashes are a reminder that we are mortal and the things of this world are transient. Our life comes through being joined to the Author of Life—Jesus Christ our Lord. Ashes are imposed with the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

What is the Church’s rule about fasting?
In our Church, the rule is found on page 17 of The Book of Common Prayer. There are two fast days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. To fast means to restrict the amount of food (but not water) by eating fewer meals or lighter meals. While these two days are considered strict fasts (i.e., no food), the rest of Lent is observed with general fasting and abstinence (giving up a particular food, such as red meat on Fridays). The Prayer Book states: “The following days are observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial: Ash Wednesday and the other weekdays of Lent and of Holy Week, except the feast of the Annunciation. Good Friday and all other Fridays of the year, in commemoration of the Lord’s crucifixion, except for Fridays in the Christmas and Easter seasons, and any Feasts of our Lord which occur on a Friday.” When fasting, please remember to take age and health into consideration, and always drink plenty of fluids.

Why should I fast?
First, fasting opens us up to God and prepares us for spiritual blessings. Fasting is about being mindful of our dependence upon God, and asking him to be at work in us. Jesus fasted before he began his public ministry. Moses also fasted forty days before receiving the Torah. The Israelites had to learn dependence upon God by being fed with manna in the wilderness. The Church in Antioch fasted and prayed for direction when the Holy Spirit spoke during the liturgy and called out Barnabas and Paul as missionaries. Second, fasting is also a sign of penitence or sorrow. In the Old Testament, we see people like David and Nehemiah fasting to express grief upon the arrival of tragic news. In the Church, we use fasting and abstinence as signs of sorrow for sin and to commemorate the passion of our Lord. Third, fasting is a way of training in righteousness. This is the practice we call mortification. St. Paul wrote, “If you live according to the flesh you shall die, but if by the spirit you mortify the flesh, you shall live” (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5; Galatians 5:24). The idea is that we should train ourselves to control our appetites, lest we grow lazy and our appetites control us. God wants us to flex the muscle of our will, so that it can grow strong for the day of battle. If we are able to deny ourselves a small and legitimate indulgence, it will help us be practiced in the art of saying “no” for the day when a temptation to sin comes along. Fasting also helps us get used to saying “no” to transitory things and to put eternal things first in the exercise of our wills. The discipline of fasting can shape our prayer life to be like that of Jesus, who when faced with the easy way out, prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

I’m “giving something up” for Lent, but what can I “take on” for Lent?
Lent is also a time to be enriched through prayer and through reading and meditating on holy Scripture. You may want to study a book of the Bible during Lent or do some other spiritual reading. You should also consider expanding your prayer life. Use the Prayer Book at home with your family. Come to an additional Mass during the week. Wednesdays in Lent at St Alban’s begins with Evening Prayer at 5:45pm, Mass at 6:00pm, a soup supper following, and the “Come Thirsty” study on Scripture. Lent is traditionally also a time for giving alms to the poor. Consider the money saved in skipping a meal by fasting and use that money to feed the hungry. St. Leo the Great said it this way, “Let the abstinence of the man who fasts be the dinner of the poor man.”

What’s the most important thing about Lent?
St John Chrysostom wrote, “It is folly to abstain all day long from food, but fail to abstain from sin and selfishness.” Lent really has one purpose—to prepare us for the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ by taking time to confess, mourn over, and repent of our sins. “Judge yourselves, therefore, lest you me judged by the Lord. Examine your lives and conduct by the rule of God’s commandments, that you may perceive wherein you have offended in what you have done or left undone, whether in thought, word, or deed. And acknowledge your sins before Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life, being ready to make restitution for all injuries and wrongs done by you to others; and also being ready to forgive those who have offended you, in order that you yourselves may be forgiven” (BCP, 316-7). Take time to examine your conscience in the light of God’s will; use the Ten Commandments or the seven deadly sins as a guide. Make your confession before a priest, and receive the assurance of pardon and grace of absolution. The confessional at St Alban’s is open on Saturday mornings from 9:15 to 9:45am (but confessions can be individually arranged for any time). Guides to making a confession are available in the Narthex.

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