First Sunday of Lent

On Ash Wednesday we started the Season of Lent with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads.  The ashes were imprinted on our foreheads with a sign of the Cross.  It is meant to remind us of our identity and relationship with God.  First, it means we belong to God.  We are his children.  Second, as his children, we have the responsibility to make Jesus’ presence felt and experienced in this world.  Third, given the identity and relationship that we have with God, as His children, we are constantly called to holiness of life. (Read more…)

Ash Wednesday

This Wednesday, February 26th there is a good chance you’ll see a co-worker or someone at school or at the store walking around with ashes on their forehead.  So, what’s up with that?

February 26th is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning of Lent, a period of fasting and reflection leading up to Easter.  The day gets its name from the practice of placing ashes on one’s forehead as a celebration and reminder of human mortality and as a sign of repentance.  (Read more…)

How Are the 40 Days of Lent Calculated?

Why Sundays don’t count during Lent

The question: the period of prayer and fasting in preparation for Easter is 40 days long, but there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar, and Easter.  So how are the 40 days of Lent calculated?

The answer takes us back to the earliest days of the Church.  Christ’s original disciples, who were Jewish, grew up with the idea that the Sabbath – the day of worship and rest – was Saturday, the seventh day of the week, since the account of creation in Genesis says that God rested on the seventh day. (Read more…)