Early Christians observed “a season of penitence and fasting” in preparation for the Paschal feast, or Pascha (BCP, pp. 264-265). The season now known as Lent (from an Old English word meaning “spring,” the time of lengthening days) has a long history.

 

Originally, in places where Pascha was celebrated on a Sunday, the Paschal feast followed a fast of up to two days. In the third century, this fast was lengthened to six days. Eventually, this fast became attached to, or overlapped, another fast of forty days, in imitation of Christ's fasting in the wilderness. The forty-day fast was especially important for converts to the faith preparing for baptism, and for those guilty of notorious sins, who were restored to the Christian assembly.

 

In the western church, the forty days of Lent extend from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, omitting Sundays. The last three days of Lent are the sacred Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

 

Today, Lent has reacquired its significance as the final preparation of adult candidates for baptism. Joining with them, all Christians are invited “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word” (BCP, p. 265).

 

Lent is not only something we observe, but something we actively enter. As such, we invite you to join us for our Virtual Stations of the Cross, a prayerful practice that helps us walk with Jesus on the road to the cross, or to explore the Lenten Meditations from Episcopal Relief and Development.

As we lean into these rhythms of prayer and reflection, we may find that Lent begins to echo some of the most tender places in our own lives. In many ways, this sacred season mirrors the experience of grief.

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Grief, like Lent, is not something to rush through. It is a journey marked by reflection, memory, lament, and, slowly, gently, hope. Just as Lent carries us through the cross toward resurrection, grief carries us through loss toward a different kind of life on the other side.

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Beginning March 8, we are offering a six-week Walking Through Grief session as a companion to the season. Together, we will create space for honest conversation, prayer, and support, trusting that even in our deepest sorrow, God is present and at work.

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