The Meaning of the Word "Lent"
The word Lent comes from Anglo Saxon times which means spring.
In Latin, Lent is quadragesima which means forty days. In Greek, it is tessarakoste (fortieth), a word formed on the analogy of Pentecost (pentekoste).
Period of Lent
The season of Lent is the period of forty days before the celebration of the great feast of the Church, Easter.
In determining this period of forty days the examples of

• Israel (wandering for forty years in the desert, Deut 8:2,4),
• Moses (who stayed on Mt Sinai for forty days and forty nights, Ex 24:18),
• Elijah ( who walked for forty days and forty nights to Mt Horeb, 1 Kg 19:8) and
• Christ (who fasted forty days and forty nights in the desert, Mt 4:1-2)
  must have exercised a predominant influence, but it is also possible that the fact was borne in mind that Christ lay forty hours in the tomb.
  On the other hand just as Pentecost (the fifty days) was a period during which Christians were joyous and prayed standing, though they were not always engaged in such prayer, so the Quadragesima (the forty days) was originally a period marked by fasting, but not necessarily a period in which the faithful fasted every day.
  In order to have an exact forty days of fasting, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday as Sundays (even during Lent) are considered non fasting days.
  Acts
  The famous threefold acts during Lent are fasting (Mt 6:16-18), almsgiving (Mt 6:2-4) and prayer (Mt 6:5-6). These acts are not practiced in order to be seen by people. (Mt 6:1) Rather they are penance for repentance and goodwill towards others.
  Practices
  In former days, the forty days of Lent are forty days of fasting with only one meal (without any flesh meat) per day usually taken in the evening. However nowadays, the rule has been greatly relaxed with two fasting days, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The faithful is also encouraged to fast from daily pleasure, not necesarily food for example smoking cigarettes, giving up a favourite TV program, etc.
  During Fridays in Lent, the faithful gather as a community for the devotion Stations of the Cross in churches. By praying the Stations, we reflect on  the sufferings of Christ and how we can make use of each station in our daily life.
  
   
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