What is Lent?

Question

and what is the meaning of it....

Answer 1

In Western Christianity, Lent is the period (or season) from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. In Eastern Christianity, the period before Easter is known as Great Lent to distinguish it from the Winter Lent, or Advent (known in Greek as the "Great Fast" and the "Nativity Fast", respectively).

There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbor). Today, some people give up something they enjoy, and often give the time or money spent doing that thing to charitable purposes or organizations. Lent is a season of sorrowful reflection that is punctuated by breaks in the fast on Sundays (the day of the resurrection); thus, Sundays are not counted in the forty days of Lent. In the Roman Catholic Church, and many other liturgical Christian denominations, Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday, especially by Roman Catholics), Good Friday, and Holy Saturday form the Easter Triduum. Because Lent is a season of grief that necessarily ends with a great celebration of Easter, it is known in Eastern Orthodox circles as the season of "Bright Sadness".

Answer 2

Lent is a period of 40 days of self denial and self mortification in the CHristian church. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Palm Sunday. It is a period of anticipation for the great feast of Easter. Lent should be practiced every day of the year because we try to avoid sin every day. It is just that it is stressed even moreso on this period of the year.

Answer 3

Forty days of fasting before Easter. Used as preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Baptism in the Early Church.