Lent

The history of Lent

The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lencten” meaning “spring”, and which is related to the verb “lengthen”, because this is the time of year when the days begin to get noticeably longer. It was developed by the early church as a time of preparation for the coming of Easter and is characterized as a season of reflection and contemplation, not unlike Advent.

We often think of it as a time of “giving up” something, in part as a reminder that Christ gave his life for us. But that is a more modern adaptation from the early church where people acknowledged Jesus as their Lord and Savior and committed to “give” their life to Christ, which culminated in baptism at Easter.

The 40 days of Lent were established in AD 325 at the Council of Nicaea. By the 7th century, Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. However, since Sundays are a weekly “celebration” of the death and resurrection of Christ, they are not counted among the 40 days. Therefore, Ash Wednesday is actually 46 days before Easter.