2008 Woodie Awards
The 40 days of Lent
A trial of faith and willpower
by Rebekah Scruggs
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: Connections
February means that Lent has begun. Lent is the Christian church's forty-day period of preparation for Easter. "The idea of Lent is that you don't head into a big celebration without first cleaning house, take a bath, washing your clothes, and getting ready for it," says Dr. Babra Brown Taylor, professor of philosophy and religion. "Christians who observe Lent use that time to clean their own spiritual houses and get ready for the Easter party."
Those who celebrate Lent often give up something that is meaningful to them or something that they indulge in. They do this in remembrance of the 40 day fast that Jesus completed before he died. A person has to refuse whatever it is that they gave up from Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, through Good Friday, the day that Christ died on the cross. However, Lent isn't observed on Sundays because it marks a celebration of Christ's resurrection. Meat isn't allowed to be eaten on Sundays.
"There are no set rules when it comes to observing Lent," says Taylor, "Usually people give up something they really like." The point of Lent is to prepare to come before God on the central Sunday of the church year. It's a time of to think about three things: self-examination, amendment of life and focused expectation. A person asks a question about each one and ponders each situation. For example, during a time of self-examination, one asks, Who am I? What gets in the way of my being closer to God? Why do I let it get in my way? When pondering the amendment of life, one can ask, Am I ready to do things differently? Is now the time? For focusing on expectation one can say, For once in my life, I am going to stay focused on what is important and not get distracted by a million trivial things, says Taylor.
"For me, Lent has always been a time of prayer, sacrifice and good work in preparation of Easter," says Jenny Shane, a Piedmont College sophomore. "For Lent, I always attempt to give something up."
Some people celebrate Lent because it's something they like to do. They want to improve themselves and Lent helps them accomplish that goal. For others, it's a part of their religion.
Anthony Saputo, a freshman says, "I celebrate Lent, because it is still observed in some Protestant faiths and has been observed in my family for years. I think it is important to give something up for a while that has personal meaning to you."
If there are no rules as to what you give up for Lent, then a person can choose to give up whatever they want. Most of the time it's something like specific food or drinks. These are two things the body craves, and therefore distract from getting closer to God.
Shane knows what she is giving up for Lent.
" This year I'm giving up chocolate and meat on Fridays. I'm also going to try and read the Bible at least once everyday. It will be tough, but I think I can do it."
Those who celebrate Lent often give up something that is meaningful to them or something that they indulge in. They do this in remembrance of the 40 day fast that Jesus completed before he died. A person has to refuse whatever it is that they gave up from Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, through Good Friday, the day that Christ died on the cross. However, Lent isn't observed on Sundays because it marks a celebration of Christ's resurrection. Meat isn't allowed to be eaten on Sundays.
"There are no set rules when it comes to observing Lent," says Taylor, "Usually people give up something they really like." The point of Lent is to prepare to come before God on the central Sunday of the church year. It's a time of to think about three things: self-examination, amendment of life and focused expectation. A person asks a question about each one and ponders each situation. For example, during a time of self-examination, one asks, Who am I? What gets in the way of my being closer to God? Why do I let it get in my way? When pondering the amendment of life, one can ask, Am I ready to do things differently? Is now the time? For focusing on expectation one can say, For once in my life, I am going to stay focused on what is important and not get distracted by a million trivial things, says Taylor.
"For me, Lent has always been a time of prayer, sacrifice and good work in preparation of Easter," says Jenny Shane, a Piedmont College sophomore. "For Lent, I always attempt to give something up."
Some people celebrate Lent because it's something they like to do. They want to improve themselves and Lent helps them accomplish that goal. For others, it's a part of their religion.
Anthony Saputo, a freshman says, "I celebrate Lent, because it is still observed in some Protestant faiths and has been observed in my family for years. I think it is important to give something up for a while that has personal meaning to you."
If there are no rules as to what you give up for Lent, then a person can choose to give up whatever they want. Most of the time it's something like specific food or drinks. These are two things the body craves, and therefore distract from getting closer to God.
Shane knows what she is giving up for Lent.
" This year I'm giving up chocolate and meat on Fridays. I'm also going to try and read the Bible at least once everyday. It will be tough, but I think I can do it."
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