1. { Lent

2.  40 days before Easter, which the church uses to prepare for the celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  Reminds us what Jesus has done for us.  Lent is the old English word for “spring” also word for “March”.  Lent is the Church’s springtime during which we start “fresh”. – Prepares us for Baptism. What is Lent?

3.  40 days is the number of disciples, devotion, and preparation in the bible.  Moses stayed on the Mountain of God 40 days. (Ex: 24:18, 34:28)  Elijah traveled 40 days before he reached the cave where he had a vision. ( 1King 19:8)  Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness praying and fasting. (Matt 4:2) Why is Lent 40 days long?

4.  Ashes are the biblical symbol for mourning and penance.  Usually made from blessed palms.  In biblical times, the custom was to fast, wear sackcloth, sit in dust and ashes, and put dust and ashes on one’s head.  Day of fasting (penance)  Reminds of of mortality – “remeber that you are dust” Ashes/ Ash Wednesday

5.  In Rome and in the West, people fasted for six weeks, Monday through Saturday, thereby making Lent last for six weeks. Eventually, the practice prevailed of fasting for six days a week over the course of six weeks, and Ash Wednesday was instituted to bring the number of fast days before Easter to 40.  The rules of fasting varied- Some people fast from all meat and meat products, and some fast from only meat.  The general rule was for a person to have one meal a day, in the evening or at 3 p.m. Rules for Fasting

6.  “I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” (Daniel 10: 1-3)  Giving things up encourages us to be humble and free ourselves from depending on things.  Fasting also teaches us about sacrifices. Is there a biblical basis for fasting from meat?

7.  Jesus died for our sins on a Friday, making it a day of mourning.  We fast from things we enjoy or do acts of penance to show that we are sorry for our sins.  Sundays are holy days which we are required to worship and celebrate. Why are Fridays during Lent days of abstinence?

8.  Customarily, No. However, it is nice to continue to fast on these days to show your commitment and dedication to God.  Giving up something is voluntary.  Sunday is a day of celebration (not excessively during Lent). Since Sundays are not counted in the 40 days of Lent, does the custom of giving up something apply to them?

9.  Sundays during Lent commemorate special events in the life of our Lord.  Transfiguration/ Entrance into Jerusalem on Palm (Passion) Sunday- Begin Holy Week  Holy Thursday- Christ celebrated first mass  Good Friday- Christ was crucified  Holy Saturday- Last day of Lent  Easter Sunday- Resurrection and first day after Lent Lenten Timeline

10.  1. What is one thing you learned about Lent?  2. How can you apply what you learned to your life? Socrative Questions m.socrative.com

11. Peffley, Francis, Fr. "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Lent." Holy Spirit Interactive: Lent. Holy Spirit Interactive, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. Bibliography