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  • Everything You Wanted To Know About Lent - Brother Jacob

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    Mudzindiko Tinashe Nigel
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    Everything You Wanted to Know About Lent- Brother Jacob

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    Everything You Wanted To Know About Lent - Brother Jacob

    Uploaded by

    Mudzindiko Tinashe Nigel

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    Everything You Wanted to Know about Lent What is Lent? Historically Lentis the 40-day rerio before Easter, which the Church uses to Prepare for he celebration of our Lord Jesus Chist's Resurrecion on Easter Sunday When does Lent begin? Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which isthe day on which they faith have thei foreheads signed with ashes inthe form of a Gross. Itends at noon on Holy ‘Saturday. The 40 days excludes the ive Sundays of Lent Why do Catholics have their foreheads marked with a cross on Ash Wednesday? Because inthe Bible a mark on the forehead is a symbol of a person's ownership. BY having thelr foreheads marked withthe sign ofa cross, this symbolizes that the person belongs to Jesus Christ, who died on @ Cross. hiss in imitation ofthe spittual mark or seal thal is put on Christan in baptism, when he is delivered from slavery to sin and the devil, and made @ ‘servant of righteousness and Christ (Rom. 6:3-18). Itis also in imitation of the way the righteous are descrived in the Book of Revelatior: “Do not harm the earth or the see or the trees, ti we have sealed the servants of our Goa upon thelr foreheads.” (Rev 7:3) ‘Why isthe signin penance. In ‘ust ane ashes on ashes, the customs fn penance have survived to key distinctions of Lent. Infact, Ash head, but also a day of fasting Js there another significance to the ashes? Yes. They also symbolize death and so remind Us of our mortality. Thus when the priest uses his thumb to sign one ofthe faithful with the ‘ashes, he says, "Remember, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return,” which is modeled afier God's address to Adam (Gen 319; Job 34:15; Ps 90:3; Ps 104:29, Ecc 3.20). This also echoes the words at a burial, "Ashes to ashes; dust to dust,” which is based on God's words to Adam and Abraham's confession, “I nothing bul dust and ashes" (Gen 16:27) iis thus a reminder of our morality and our need to repent before this fe is over and we face our Creator. Where do the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from? They are made by buming palm fronds which have been saved rom tho previous a's Palm Sunday, they are then blesees by a priest blessed ashes hag ber wed in Gos alsin te time of Moses Num 18. 10, 17). ‘Why are ashes from the previous year's Paim Sunday used? whon th people edeed tes Vana enrane fo dence: teaser oan NES by waving palm fronds, litle realizing that he was coming to die for their sins, By sfom Palm Sunday His reminder hat we must at on By using palms egret the fact that our sins made itecessay for him safer to defor us inorder to save us from helt ‘Sundays excluded from the reckon Why iqtich Chitose, makingitan inanprmnic ttre, (OFY days? Because Sund day on Criss Resurrection for our ea ,o2Y © fest and mo) ace we must corte his death forour sins, he Sonat atOn. tis Friday on wich on On Sunday eneys lof the year af €2y8 of penance," "Y* “the year are days of celebration and th e inabie fo sympathize with our weaknesses, but oe who in ever respect ‘tied 4-15} By te soemn forty days of Lent the Church unites of Jesus inthe cosert "(CCC 540) fo oe, yout si Merser each yoortothe myer are the forty day called Lent? Thy ore called Lent because thet the Od Engh Mi are te fr seca i the secaon ofthe year deg whven ais, ul Tere eeectis Singme ring which we srt rsh. Tis Eigish. hr amos ol ther guages, Lents name 10 keep a limited fast. n this county, one may so ong as these snacks do not add up toa second meal. Ciiéren are not their parents must ensure they are properly educated nthe spnival practice of fasting. Those with mecical conditions requinng @ greater or more regular food intake can easily be dispensed {from the requirement of fasting by thele pastor. 4 day of abstinence isa day on which Catholics {ourteen years or older are required to abstain ftom eating meat (under the curent discipline in ‘Ameria, fish, eggs, mik products, and condiments or foods made using animal fat are permitted in the Wester Rite ofthe Church, though notin the Eastem Rites.) Again, persons, wit special aletary needs can easily be dispensed by their pastor. 1s there a biblical basis for abstaining from meat as a sign of repentance? Yes. The book jel, moumed for three weeks. | ate no choice of Daniel states: "In the third year of Gyrus king of Persia. 7, food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and | used no lotions at all until the three weeks wore over.” (Daniel 10:1-3) By giving up good things and denying them to ourselves we encourage an attitude of humility, free ourselves fram dependence on them, cutivate the sprtual cisciptine f being willing to make personal sacrifices, and remind ourselves of the importance of spiritual goods over earthly goods. Since the Catholic Church only requires abstinence from meat on a temporary basis, it clearly does not regard meatis immoral. Instead, t regards it as the giving uP of @ good thing (which in less economically developed regions — including the whole word unt very recently ~ was expensive and thus eaten at festive occasions, making fta sign of rejoicing) to attain a spiritual goal. On what basis does the Church have the authority to establish days of fast and abstinence? On the authority of Jesus Christ who told the leaders of His Church, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on ooo ‘be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19, 18:18). The language! binding ‘and loosing (in part) was a rabinnic. way of refe ‘o the ability to establish binding halakah or rules of conduct for the faith, wot retering ‘every family has the authority to community, To approach the issue fm another angle family devotions forts members. Thus i ihe Micuiar devotion ata particular tne (say, wing a to disobey and skip the devotion or noon hort eetabiah sow a ooboy ad ship fie devotions far! son, he Church lopenses hinge int days of fast or $0 Ash Wednesday, are any other days during Le: 4708. All Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence, Alo, Goes fea og Christ was evi nae day ofboth ond atin haa = for fasting or abstaining, but canon law does not require fasting on tose Ca festng or abstinence evolu. a heel cong are Fidye curing Lot day of satnence? hiss becawse Jess tx ng Sr Fray alr tn espocalyspropate ay efmouring cur svs oss Sc en, whic he rosa loosen san expeilyspropats dy ts ocahoy see Something wo ay. During th ral of he your Cuties tse Sea to Use a different act of penance on Friday in place of abstinence, though all, Fridays are days of enance on which we are raquired todo something expressing sorrow for our sing jt os, SangG¥® 2 ly days on which we ae requredto worship and celebrate God's great ga of salvation, ‘ e re acts of repentance appropriate on other days during Lent? ‘Yes. Thus the Code of Canon Law states: time of Lent are penttantal days and time throughout the “All Fridays through the year and the Universal Church" (CIC 1250), ‘ordinary days during Lent? Giving up. ital acs of mercy for ater, prayer fasing oes no and going to confession and other acts expressing

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