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Lent and Easter

Lent and Easter. Overview. What is Lent? Length of the Season Renewal of Baptismal Promises Ash Wednesday Penance Three Pillars of Lent Traditions of Lent Holy Triduum Easter Season. What is Lent?. What is Lent?. Lent is one of the 5 seasons in the liturgical year

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Lent and Easter

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  1. Lent and Easter

  2. Overview • What is Lent? • Length of the Season • Renewal of Baptismal Promises • Ash Wednesday • Penance • Three Pillars of Lent • Traditions of Lent • Holy Triduum • Easter Season

  3. What is Lent?

  4. What is Lent? • Lent is one of the 5 seasons in the liturgical year • The word “lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word from springtime, lencten • Spring is a time of change and renewal – “new birth” • Lent is a time for spiritual growth

  5. How long is the season of Lent?

  6. How long is the season of Lent? • The season of Lent is 40 days - a time of purification and preparation • It took 40 years for Israel to enter the promised Land • It took 40 days and 40 nights for the earth to be purified from sin in the story of the flood • Jesus prayed 40 days and 40 nights to prepare for his ministry

  7. How long is the season of Lent? • Sundays not counted during Lent • Sunday is the day of the “resurrection” • For Christians Sundays are like mini Easters

  8. Short History of Lent • Early on, as part of the process of becoming a Christian, candidates prepared for their rite of initiation through a retreat lasting 40 days • Period became known as “Lent” • For those already baptized and members of the Church, it was a time to fast, encourage and to pray with the candidates and to renew baptismal promises • The focus of Lent shifted from Baptism preparation to penance and prayer

  9. Renewal of Baptismal Promises • Do you reject Satan? I do. • And all his works? I do. • And all his empty promises? I do. • Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? I do. • Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? I do. • Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? I do. • God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and forgiven all our sins. May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever. I do.

  10. What is the Color of Lent?

  11. What is the Color of Lent? • The color of Lent is purple • Purple is a symbol of Penance

  12. Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday • The tradition of Mardi Gras (French, “Fat Tuesday”) began as a pre-Lenten day of feasting and carnival • Foods forbidden by the church’s severe Lenten discipline were the ones needing refrigeration • Since controlled refrigeration was unheard of until the 19th century, it made sense to eat what would otherwise spoil during the 6 weeks of Lent

  13. When does Lent begin?

  14. When does Lent Begin? • The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday • This day is called Ash Wednesday because Catholics receive the ashes on their foreheads as an invitation to conversion

  15. What is the meaning of the Ashes? • Ancient symbol of repentance • The mark of the penitent (a person who repents for wrongdoing) • A public sign that we are about to embark on a conversion of heart • Symbol that life is fragile

  16. Where do the ashes come from?

  17. Where do the Ashes come from? • The ashes are made from the blessed palms used in the Palm Sunday celebration of the previous year • The ashes are christened with Holy Water and are scented by exposure to incense

  18. Giving Something Up for Lent • Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life • That always involves giving up sin in some form • Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ

  19. What is Penance?

  20. What is Penance? • Penance is making amends • Amends is making up for what we do wrong • Lent is a time to “clean up the mess” and fix our lives and our relationships with God and neighbor

  21. Provide some examples of Penance you can do

  22. How do we prepare spiritually for Lent? • By letting go of sinful behavior • By seeking conversion (interior change) • By practicing Penance • By following the teachings of Christ • By practicing the three pillars of Lent

  23. What are the three traditional pillars of Lent?

  24. What are the three pillars of Lent? • Prayer • Fasting • Almsgiving (charity)

  25. How is fasting different from dieting?

  26. Why is Fasting different from Dieting? • Dieting is something we do for health or cosmetic reasons • Fasting is a spiritual exercise • Fasting is an expression of wholeheartedness and penance • Reminds us to have control over our desires

  27. How is fasting different from abstinence?

  28. Fasting vs. Abstinence • Fasting • Traditional form of penance • Way of purifying the spirit; sacrificing some good to the Lord • Consists of one’s free choice to limit the kind or quality of food or drink  • Abstinence • Doing without meat or another food or drink • Abstinence from meat is mandatory on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays in Lent

  29. Regulations on Abstinence • The U.S. Catholic bishops call for all Catholics 14 years and older to abstain from meat on … • Ash Wednesday, • Good Friday and • Fridays of Lent • Catholics who are 18 to 59 years old are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Fasting refers to the quantity of food eaten • Traditionally, fasting calls for refraining from eating between meals and consuming only one full meal per day

  30. Prayer • Devote more time to prayer • You could pray for the grace to live out our baptismal promises more fully through conversion of heart

  31. How can we improve our prayer during Lent?

  32. How can we improve our prayer during Lent? • Divide your prayer time in three parts • Morning • Afternoon • Evening (night) • Spend 15 to 20 minutes alone, meditating, talking to God

  33. How can we improve our prayer during Lent? • Become familiar with the life of Jesus by reading the Gospels • Each day read a different chapter from each of the Gospels • Try to visualize what is happening

  34. What is almsgiving?

  35. What is Almsgiving? • Almsgiving is another word for charity • Charity is love in action • Charity is a way to reach out to those who are in need (e.g., collecting food cans for the hungry)

  36. What is discipleship? • Discipleship is a learning to be a disciple • The word disciple means “student” • Student is the one who learns from the master • Discipleship is learning to be like Christ

  37. How do we learn to be like Christ? • Study Christ’s teachings • Follow Christ’s teachings • Witness Christ’s teachings in your life and in the world

  38. Temptation • Temptation: Any incitement to sin arising from the world • God allows us to be tempted (trial) but never beyond our powers to resist • The trial provides the occasion for moral and spiritual growth • Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the desert (Mark, Matthew and Luke)

  39. What are the three universal temptations? • The temptation for pleasure regardless of the consequences • The temptation for power • The temptation for popularity

  40. Sacrament of Penance • The Sacrament of Penance is the liturgical celebration of God's forgiveness of the sins of the penitent • Conversion from sin, confession of guilt, forgiveness of the wrong done, and reconciliation with Christ and His Church • You should come to the Sacrament of Penance at least once each year during Lent or Eastertide and as often as necessary when conscious of serious sin • Anyone conscious of grave sin should not receive Holy Communion before being reconciled to God by sacramental confession and absolution

  41. Traditions of Lent • Lent is a season of penitence, reflection, and prayer, worship during this time is solemn and restrained • Somber atmosphere • Weddings are normally not scheduled during Lent because they are joyful events • Penitential practices such as fasting and abstinence • Devotions centered around the suffering of Jesus

  42. Stations of the Cross • Devotion found in the Catholic tradition of piety • Stations of the Cross is representative of 14 particular events experienced by Jesus as He walked to Calvary • Every Friday in the Chapel at 6:00 pm

  43. Holy Week • The height of the season of Lent is Holy Week • Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends with the Holy Triduum • Triduum means: three days • Holy Thursday • Good Friday • Holy Saturday

  44. Holy Triduum • The Triduum is a celebration that highlights the Paschal mystery • Through these three days the Church remembers that Christ suffered and died, but that he also came to life • The Triduum is the celebration of the Church’s salvation through Christ

  45. The Holy Triduum • Lent officially ends on Holy Thursday • The Holy Triduum begins on Holy Thursday • On Holy Thursday there is only one Mass • The Mass of the Lord’s supper which is celebrated in the evening, and includes the washing of the feet • No morning Masses are celebrated on this day

  46. Holy Thursday • The faithful gathers in church to celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and priesthood • Washing of the Feet - a reminder of Jesus’ command to serve one another • The Blessed Sacrament is moved to a chapel • The faithful is invited to stay in the chapel to pray before the Blessed Sacrament until midnight • The sanctuary is cleared. All decorations are removed from the church

  47. Good Friday • This is a holy day of fasting and abstinence • A Mass is not celebrated • The liturgy of the Lord’s passion is celebrated, followed by a homily, the General intercessions, communion, and the veneration of the cross • There is no procession on this day

  48. What is the veneration of the Cross?

  49. What is the veneration of the Cross? • The veneration of the cross is the last section of the Liturgy of Good Friday • The faithful are presented with the cross, then the faithful venerate the cross with a kiss, as a sign of respect and devotion

  50. Holy Saturday • The Easter Vigil is the highest point of the Easter Triduum • The Easter Vigil begins on Holy Saturday • This is the longest celebration in Catholic worship • The celebration proclaims Jesus’ triumph over the powers of evil and death

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