| 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76133 Phone: 817-926-8277 -- Fax: 817-926-8278 Preschool: 817-923-2040 email: st.christophers@att.net |
St. Christopher Episcopal Church
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To Know Christ and Make Him Known
| A Look at Our Church Seasons and Holy Days - Lent |
On Ash Wednesday, we will enter into one of the most important seasons of the church year
- the “40 days” of Lent. The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, or
spring, the time of year when the days begin to lengthen. Lent itself is always the same period
of time (40 days, not including Sundays), but its starting date is tied to the movable feast of
Easter and can be as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
Lent is one of the most important seasons of the church year. It is a time of penitence, an
introspective period during which we take stock of our lives and our relationships to
discover and change what we must to prepare for Easter and experience the spiritual
renewal “making that comes when we engage in this type of “ making right” activity. So,
during Lent we each follow the example of Jesus by sacrificing our own will to the purpose
of God.
Lent has two major focuses:
The liturgical colors of Lent are purple, for penitence and royalty, or rough unbleached linen,
based on the sackcloth of Old Testament mourning and reflecting the somber mood of the
season.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. On this day ashes are placed on the foreheads of
the faithful to remind us of death, of the sorrow we should feel for our sins, and of the
necessity of changing our lives.
Way of the Cross is a devotion most commonly done during the Season of Lent, especially
on Friday evenings during Lent. The Stations of the Cross depict the final hours of Jesus, and
the devotion commemorates the Passion. (More...)
Holy Week is the last week in Lent. The purpose of Holy Week is to reenact, relive, and
participate in the passion of Jesus Christ. The week begins with Palm Sunday, the entrance
of Jesus into Jerusalem; Maundy Thursday, the institution of Communion and the betrayal by
Judas; Good Friday, the arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. and ends
on Holy Saturday, the Sabbath on which Jesus rested in the grave. (More...)
- the “40 days” of Lent. The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, or
spring, the time of year when the days begin to lengthen. Lent itself is always the same period
of time (40 days, not including Sundays), but its starting date is tied to the movable feast of
Easter and can be as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.
Lent is one of the most important seasons of the church year. It is a time of penitence, an
introspective period during which we take stock of our lives and our relationships to
discover and change what we must to prepare for Easter and experience the spiritual
renewal “making that comes when we engage in this type of “ making right” activity. So,
during Lent we each follow the example of Jesus by sacrificing our own will to the purpose
of God.
Lent has two major focuses:
- The first is on baptism, which in the early church occurred only at Easter. The Sunday
readings provide a short course on the meaning of baptism. - The second Lenten theme - one with which most of us are now more familiar - is that
of fasting and renunciation. This theme recalls Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and
through them the discipline of self-denial reflecting the sacrifice of our will to the
purpose of God.
The liturgical colors of Lent are purple, for penitence and royalty, or rough unbleached linen,
based on the sackcloth of Old Testament mourning and reflecting the somber mood of the
season.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. On this day ashes are placed on the foreheads of
the faithful to remind us of death, of the sorrow we should feel for our sins, and of the
necessity of changing our lives.
Way of the Cross is a devotion most commonly done during the Season of Lent, especially
on Friday evenings during Lent. The Stations of the Cross depict the final hours of Jesus, and
the devotion commemorates the Passion. (More...)
Holy Week is the last week in Lent. The purpose of Holy Week is to reenact, relive, and
participate in the passion of Jesus Christ. The week begins with Palm Sunday, the entrance
of Jesus into Jerusalem; Maundy Thursday, the institution of Communion and the betrayal by
Judas; Good Friday, the arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. and ends
on Holy Saturday, the Sabbath on which Jesus rested in the grave. (More...)