Lent, a Christain holiday, is a period of fasting, repentance, and spiritual discipline in preparation for the celebration of Easter.
It lasts for exactly 40 days, the beginning being Ash Wednesday and the end being Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. During the 40 days, Christians of different denominations, choose to fast by either giving up certain luxuries, addictions or vices or engaging in activities that strengthen one’s relationship to God, like picking up good habits or reading daily devotionals, as a form of sacrifice. They also focus more intently on prayer and acts of penance.
The origins of Lent can be traced back to the early Christian church. Beginning on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter, Lent was seen as a time of preparation for members of the church who had opted to be baptized or a period of purification for those who had received the sacrament of baptism. Over time, as the rules of the church began to accept and accommodate the different relationships people could have with God, the observance of Lent evolved, becoming a period of spiritual reflection where Christians could participate in activities that drew them closer to God.
Kayley Valles is a senior nursing student from Merkel. To Valles, Lent is about giving up her bad habits, creating new habits and improving her relationship with God. This year, not only did Valles restrict the time she spent on her phone, but she also chose to incorporate conversations with God into her prayers.
Nathaniel Schoendorf, a senior fitness, recreation and sports management major from Ponder. He began a Bible in a year program as an activity to bring him closer to God. On the first day of Lent this year, he began reading passages of the Bible every morning, with a plan to complete it by Lent next year. He choses engagements like this because to him, Lent is an opportunity to focus and make plans that bring us back to God.
Easter, marking the end of Lent, is one of the most important festivals in the Christian calendar and celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The origins of Easter are traced back to the early Christian Church, where it is seen as a celebration of new life. It celebrates the victory of Jesus’ resurrection, and the defeat of death. Although today Easter is celebrated by Christians all over the world with a variety of traditions and customs, it remains a time of joy, hope and celebration for Christians as they reflect on the resurrection of Jesus and the hope that it brings.
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