Lent
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Lent is a holy liturgical season in which believers fast and pray before Easter.
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[edit] Purpose
Lent is meant to serve as a reminder of the days Jesus spent in the dessert desert resisting temptations from the Devil. As a celebration of their leader's sacrifices, believers go without something dear to them for the entire period of Lent. It can mean giving up something temporarily over lent or it can mean trying to overcome a sin with the hope that the believer will continue to avoid that sin after Lent.
It should be known that Sundays are not included in the forty days of Lent, as they represent the victory of the Lord over Satan.
[edit] Holy days
There are several holy days within Lent. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The fourth Sunday, Laetare Sunday, marks the half way point of Lent. The fifth Sunday marks the beginning of Passiontide, and is known as Passion Sunday. Holy Week begins on the Sixth Sunday, which is known as Palm Sunday.
The Wednesday of the Holy Week is Spy [1] Wednesday, as it reminds us of the Judas betraying Jesus. On Thursday, known as Maundy Thursday, believers celebrate the Last Supper and the agony in the garden. On Friday, known as Good Friday, believers mourn and remember the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus. On Saturday, known as Holy Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Black Saturday[2], or Easter Eve, Christians think of Jesus dead in the tomb.
[edit] What to give up
- Some people give up religion or just Catholicism [3] during Lent.
- A good idea is to give up guilt over Lent but Christians may be down on you for it. [4]
- Some people give up masturbation [5] possibly including porn [6] during lent.
- A man wants to give up his wife over Lent and hopes someone will take her. [7]
[edit] Not as efficient as some religions
Jon Stewart once remarked that because Catholicism requires forty days of penitence, it's not as efficient as Judaism which requires only one (celebrated on Yom Kippur).
Similarly, Ramadan lasts only a month, and even then Muslims only fast during the daytime (Muslims engage in large celebratory feasts after sundown, usually with goat meat).