 Period of 40 days leading up to “Easter” Sunday.  Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican churches.  With fasting, penance, prayer, repentance, almsgiving, self-denial, etc.  With great divergences of practices/traditions.  Origin dates back to 4 th and 5 th centuries.

 Jesus did not institute it. Apostles did not instruct Christians to observe it.  Matthew 28:20; 1 Peter 4:11  Church history supports the silence of the Scriptures regarding this.  Writings of early church fathers between 1 st and 3 rd centuries amplify the observable silence that there was no apostolic institution of it.

 God’s leaders in the Old Testament commanded Israelites to fast at times of urgent petitions (2 Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 8:21; Joel 1:14).  In vain if being disobedient to the word of the Lord (Zechariah 7:4-7).

 Abstinence from eating food to concentrate on a spiritual activity without distraction in order to obtain something better from the Lord and in one’s spiritual character.  Common practice of Jews. ▪ Jesus’ teaching on proper attitude (Matthew 6:16-18).

 Physical circumstances may bring about involuntary fasting (Mark 3:20; John 4:31-32; Matthew 15:32; 2 Corinthians 6:4-5).  Cornelius showed his piety before God even before he was a Christian (Acts 10:2, 30).  Christians practiced fasting when spiritual needs called for it (Acts 13:1-3; 14:21-23).

 Fasting was not some organized annual 40 day church activity, but rather, an acceptable spiritual practice when spiritually minded believers chose personally to abstain from physical nourishment for greater fervent focus on things above.