Lent

Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of the Lenten season.  The lenten season has its origins in the early Christian Church.  Somewhere between the 6th & 8th century.  Originally, the idea was that a Christian, as a sign of repentance, would sprinkle ashes on his or her head.  

Ashes in the Bible are associated with humility and mortality, fasting and remorse.  If you had sinned and felt remorse, you were repenting of that sin by sprinkling ashes on your head as a sign of sorrow and repentance.  Ashes were supposed to remind you that you are mortal, and that eventually you will become ashes when you die.

During the 6th or 7th century, Christian Churches liked the idea.  People, in private, would at times sprinkle ashes on themselves as a sign or repentance.  Eventually, it became a public practice.

Instead of sprinkling the ashes on your head, the ashes were rubbed onto the forehead in the shape of a cross.  It thus became a sign of repentance and reminder of your baptism, when the sign of the cross was placed on you with water and the Word.  Eventually, the ashes would come from palm branches from Palm Sunday burned the year before.  Throughout the centuries, some churches retained this practice while others stopped it.  What is important, is what is going on in your heart.

For every Christian, whether they celebrate the ashes or not, Ash Wednesday marks beginning of the Lenten season.  Lent is a 40 day span of time from then until Easter.  The word comes from the Anglo-Saxon word, "lencten" the time of the year when the days grow longer.  

During the forty day period the focus is on Christ's battle with sin and Satan that He waged in order for us to receive salvation.  The 40 days of lend do not include Sundays, because each Sunday is considered to be a "miniature Easter."

Why 40 days?  Because right after Jesus was baptized, the Bible tells us Jesus went into the desert to fast an to be tempted by the devil for 40 days.  For Jesus, these 40 days were a time of reflection and battle of temptation.  He that was without sin had to go through this.  

During the 40 days, we think about our own temptations and trials we go through and repent.  To evaluate ourselves in light of God's Word.  A time to receive God's forgiveness and receive strength to lead a Christian life.  To renew our own commitments to serve the Lord.

Lent, lastly, is a time when many people decide to give something up, e.g., chocolate.  For me, I am giving up 20 pounds of unwanted weight.  I am totally dedicated to giving this up and I will succeed.  May you also be successful if you decide to eliminate something in your life.