The Season of Lent

Since mid-January, the presence of colourful eggs and chocolate bunnies in supermarkets has steadily been increasing. People like to buy them early in preparation for their Easter celebrations. 

However, for us as Catholics, our preparation for Easter goes much deeper than that.

Over the next month or so, teachers will be explaining the importance of the season of ‘Lent’ to all students.

The Season of Lent is a time in which we reflect on our relationship with God and the way we are living our lives.  It is the season in which we prepare for the mystery of Easter with minds and hearts renewed.

Through repentance and renewal we can live more fully, our Baptismal call to live as disciples of Jesus.

I have included the following information on Lent to help you and your family understand the meaning, customs and traditions of Lent more fully.We hope that you will work with us to prepare students for the coming Easter Season.

• The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (next Weds) and concludes before the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.
• Lent is a forty-day liturgical season that prepares us for the most sacred part of the Christian year, the Triduum – the days we recall the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.
• Sundays are not included in the forty-day count because every Sunday is a joyful celebration of our Lord's Resurrection.
• The name Lent, comes from the Old English word for Spring which was lencten. The Latin word for Lent is quadragesima which means forty days.
• During Lent we renew our hearts and mind through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, in preparation for the joyful mystery of Easter.
• Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting and abstinence. This means we only have one main meal during the day (fasting) and we do not eat meat (abstinence).
• The traditional colour of Lent is purple.

Prayer, Fasting & Almsgiving: What Do They Mean?

• Lent is a time to identify the things we THINK, FEEL and DO, that prevent us from moving closer to God and which stop us from living like Jesus.
• Lent is about conversion – moving into practices in which we grow more like Christ and help us live His way of life.
• As Catholics, we use PRAYER, FASTING AND ALMSGIVING to bring us closer to God and prepare ourselves for the Easter Season. All three of these Lenten practices link together to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about the conversion we seek during Lent.

Prayer

Prayer is our communication with God.  It is through prayer that we develop a closer, more intimate relationship with God.  During Lent, we try to pray more by talking to God, as well as by being silent with God, so that we may hear God speak to us.   

Fasting

Fasting is one of the most ancient actions linked to Lent, although the rules have changed through the ages, it is still considered a sacred practice.  When we hear the word ‘fast’ we straight away think of ‘giving up’ something like lollies, chocolate or our favourite food.  Fasting is about limiting the amount we eat and/or denying ourselves certain foods.  It is primarily a spiritual discipline designed to allow us to concentrate less on our body and more on prayer. Fasting should lead to a deeper relationship with God, it allows us to focus less on ourselves and more on strengthening our relationship with God and others.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving is a sign of our care for those in need and an expression of our gratitude for all God has given to us.  Works of charity and the promotion of justice are integral elements of the Christian way of life.  When we look carefully, we will find Christ in our neighbours, especially the poor and needy.  One way we usually support those in need during Lent is by giving money to the annual Project Compassion Appeal. 

Thanks for your support

Mr Simon Abernethy, College Principal