Lent is a common practice among Christian denominations. In the Eastern churches they consider Advent to be Lent, and the western Lent to be the Great Lent. In most western churches Lent is the 40 days not counting Sundays before Easter. The word Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means spring. In 325 the council Nicea discussed the Lenten season, but it wasn’t until the time of Gregory the Great that the start of the season was established on a Wednesday.
The 40 days is symbolic of the 40 days Christ was in dessert and the 40 years Moses had to endure before reaching the Promised Land.
Ash Wednesday is the day when Catholics and other similar denominations allow their priests or ministers to put ashes on the parishioners as a symbolic gesture. The ash is made from blessed palm branches the year before. Palm branches are used in the mass in remembrance of Christ entering Jeresalum.
John 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed [is] the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
The ash is more or less supposed to be in the form of a cross. The minister or priest will take his finger into the ash and make the sign of the cross on the forehead making a cross shape.
Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
The taking of the cross is not only taking up the burdens of following Christ but in expressions of the faith. It is an expression of the promise given to us in the End Times.
Revelation 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
So why ash of all things? Ash and dust have high historical significance in scripture. The Prophet Jeremiah requests that the Jewish people express repentance through ashes and sackcloth.
Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
The Prophet Daniel pleads for Israel by showing as a sign of repentance the use of ashes and sackcloth.
Daniel 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
The Prophet Jonah warns the people of Nineveh (present day Mosul Iraq), and they do repent in the form of ashes and sackcloth, even the king undergoes this humility and pleads that his people do the same. This act of repentance effectively saves the city from destruction.
Jonah 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
In the book of Judith the use of ashes upon the forehead is shown as a link between the Old Testament and the practices of today.
Judith 4:11 Thus every man and women, and the little children, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell before the temple, and cast ashes upon their heads, and spread out their sackcloth before the face of the Lord: also they put sackcloth about the altar,
But why was it important for them to even do this practice at all?
Judith 4:12 And cried to the God of Israel all with one consent earnestly, that he would not give their children for a prey, and their wives for a spoil, and the cities of their inheritance to destruction, and the sanctuary to profanation and reproach, and for the nations to rejoice at.
But more importantly did it work?
Judith 4:13 So God heard their prayers, and looked upon their afflictions: for the people fasted many days in all Judea and Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
The Jewish rebels hoping for success in battle sprinkled ash on their heads as well. In all instances there is mourning and repentance.
1 Maccabees 3:47 They fasted that day, put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on their heads, and rent their clothes.
1 Maccabees 4:39 Then they rent their clothes, and mourned with great lamentation, and sprinkled themselves with ashes.
Even Christ makes a reference to the idea of repentance by way of ashes and sackcloth.
Matthew 11:21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
More examples of Old Testament acts of repentance.
Job 42: 6 Wherefore I abhor myself , and repent in dust and ashes.
Joel 1:8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
Joel 1:13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
But now that we know the Jewish people practiced it, why did God favor it as an act of repentance.
Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.
Ashes and dust remind us of our mortality, what we are without God. It is also an act of humility before God. For a King such as David (Psalm 35:13) or the one of Nineveh to cover themselves in ashes is quite extraordinary. Now perhaps there are other ways to show humility but covering oneself in ashes has to be a top ten. So why don’t those who practice it today cover themselves entirely with ashes? Well, it’s not necessary for there are many above verses dealing with it only on the forehead and there are some obvious practical concerns with such a task.
But Ash Wednesday is just a day; there are another forty days to be concerned with. Tradition holds that on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent one is to abstain from meats. Catholic law holds that fish is allowed on Fridays for a few reasons. St. Peter was a fisherman so it would be odd to ban a food product an apostle excelled at. Another is that fish was very common and an important industry for towns and cities and prohibiting it would be more harmful than good. Also fish at the time was a common item where is other meats were considered luxury items.
Luke 15:29 And he answering said to [his] father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: (Kid is a young lamb)
Specifics aside you don’t have to eat fish on Friday, I don’t. Another thing to abstain from is of your choice. Take an act you find addicting that distracts you from God. It could be the TV, something unhealthy spiritually and then deny that. It could be a favorite food like chocolate, soda, sugar, etc. The idea here is to deny yourself something special that you find almost addicting in your life. Shouldn’t we appreciate what God gives us? True, but we are not of the Earth but of the spirit. Riches are secondary to your spiritual health. When the 40 days are up you can rejoice more in Easter than before.
Denying something you really enjoy can also allow you to connect with fellow Christians who have nothing. We all are aware of the suffering in Third World nations. By denying special things they will never have we can connect better with them. But Lent is not always about giving up it is also about doing good for others. But first the Biblical study of fasting so as to provide proof of the appropriateness of fasting.
First off the death of Christ does not excuse oneself from entertaining the act of fasting nor does it prohibit it. In this example the Pharisees accuse Christ’s disciples of not fasting. In this verse we see that at the time it was unnecessary for why should his followers mourn when they are with him? But furthermore Christ allows for the time when he will no longer be with his followers and indeed they shall fast.
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Jesus gives us instructions on how to fast. Do not show everyone that you are fasting in a vain manner, but in secret. So if you give up ice cream or whatever don’t make it incredibly obvious that you are suffering. Fast in secret and in humility and you shall be rewarded for it.
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Fasting has a special spiritual quality to it, in this example Christ explains why the disciples failed in casting a demon out of a person.
Mark 9:28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
You can serve God through prayer and fasting.
Luke 2:37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
The early Church after the death of Christ practiced fasting.
Acts 13: 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
So why not fast all year one might ask? Well, you could, and it would be great if everyone showed their ability to fast all year. However different parts of the year request different observances. The observance of ordinary time, Advent, Pentecost, Lent, and Christmas season all have their observances. That said it wouldn’t be a “fast” if you did it all year long. A fast is a special time when you give something up in remembrance of God. Also the denominations recognize that it would be most effective to encourage a fast before Easter.
Perhaps you think there are better ways to remember God during the weeks before Easter. By all means commit acts of charity, prayer, Bible study, etc, whatever assists you during the Lent season. Fasting is one of many ways to show commitment to God.
Critiques
For what reason is there need to repent if God died on the Christ for our sins?
First I would say that Lent was designed for those who have not been baptized, so fasting, prayer, acts of charity, etc. are worthwhile activities to prepare for baptism and for those already baptized it assists those wishing to convert by showing an example. The Bible has numerous references to repenting and asking for forgiveness, in such a way you are reconnecting yourself with God when you fast.
1 Tim. 4:3
The abstaining of meat or any food for that matter must be facilitated within the Church. The Church has the right to not marry people if it deems it to be incorrect. The Church also has the right to request abstinence from foods or actions in a fast. Outside pressures such as other religions or a hostile government should not be the reason to deny foods or the ability to marry.
Lent comes from a pagan holiday.
Under that definition that same would have to be true of Christmas and Easter yet we still celebrate them. But in truth it is not. There is much history in the use of ashes and fasting, the 40 days before Easter. It all fits Judeo Christian history and philosophy and is not pagan. The pagans sacrificed as did the Jews but it is obvious which sacrificed was true and which one was not. Lent is Biblical and Christian.
Clarification
Is it a sin to break a fast?
A sin by definition is an offense to God so if you promise God you will do something and break that commitment it is up to your judgment on whether that is a sin. Does that mean that we shouldn’t take the risk of fasting? No, it means do your best. We don’t destroy ourselves when we fail, we do our best. If you break a fast, continue with the fast, stay with it, and maybe add something more to it. Show God your commitment.
