Lent

Well you if you are reading my blog from Facebook, it is because I have it syndicated to post through networked blogs.

Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

What does it mean? The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through prayer, penance, repentance, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What do you do? During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence. The Stations of the Cross, a devotional commemoration of Christ's carrying the Cross and of his execution, are often observed. Many Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches bare their altars of candles, flowers, and other devotional offerings, while crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate religious paraphernalia are often veiled in violet fabrics in observance of this event. In certain pious Catholic countries, grand processions and cultural customs are observed, and the faithful attempt to visit seven churches during Holy Week in honor of Jesus Christ heading to Mount Calvary.

The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigor during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and alms-giving (justice towards neighbor).

What am I giving up? This year for Lent I am giving up Facebook. It takes up so much of my life and I would like to find my path back to God. A good friend told me that if there is no one to talk to, there is always God, so true.

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