V O I C E S

by Vic Jameson

Lent.

That’s what this column is all about. (Well, what it’s supposed to be about; you know how it is when writers get carried away and think they’re turning out wonderful prose and sure enough it’s drivel and you may have to give them a sharp whack with an ampersand, or maybe an asterisk, to make them behave.)

Now then: It may be that you already know as much about Lent as you need to know. Are you certain about that? Then turn in your assignments as quickly as ever you can because trouble is coming your way and I don’t want to be there when it arrives.

Here are some facts about Lent compiled from a number of sources more authoritative than this one but not necessarily in the order of their importance:

• Churches that observe Lent usually use it as a time for reflection and contemplation, prayer and penance. Some churches do not observe Lent signifcantly. Few people nowadays fast for the whole of it.

• Forty is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture. The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching Palestine.

• In Genesis the flood that destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain.

• Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.

There could be other bits of instruction, but you might want to learn more about these before extending yourself too much.

Lent is an old English word meaning to lengthen, associated with the arrival of spring when days grow longer. Eastern churches start Lent from the Monday of the seventh week before Easter. Western churches begin (or began, depending on when you are reading this report) this year (2005) with Ash Wednesday on February 9. Both culminate in Easter. How you count the 40 days depends on where you were around the turn of the next-to-last millenium when the first big church split occurred. But I digress.

In some cultures or places the last days before Lent include Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching. Some sources describe all this as “one last fling before the solemnity of Lent.

If you persist, you can find many more tidbits about Lent and its history. On the other hand, you might find it more helpful to spend that time in prayer and contemplation.