The Church of St Jude - Wantagh, New York

DearJudy,

Ihear through the mouse-vine that you need something “lent” to you beginningFebruary 17. What do you need? Perhaps I can help!

                    HelperMouse

Dear Helper,

   Once again, the “mouse-vine” is the mostunreliable source of information I have ever heard of. I do not need anything“lent” to me this year. What you probably heard talked about was our upcomingseason of “Lent.”

   On Wednesday, February 17, 2010, we willenter into one of the most important seasons of the church year—the “40 days”of Lent. The word “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, or spring, the time of year when the days begin tolengthen. Lent itself is always the same period of time, but its starting dateis tied to the movable feast of Easter and can be as early as February 4 or aslate as March 10.

   Lent is one of the most important seasons ofthe church year because it is a time of penitence, an introspective periodduring which we take stock of our lives and our relationships to discover andchange what we must to prepare for Easter and experience the spiritual renewalthat comes when we engage in this type of “making right” activity. So, duringLent we each follow the example of Jesus by sacrificing our own will to thepurpose of God.

   Starting on Ash Wednesday, the Lenten seasonincludes 40 weekdays and five Sundays before Holy Week and the culminatingtriumph of the Resurrection at Easter. Lent has two major focuses:

·        Thefirst is on baptism, which in the early church occurred only at Easter. TheSunday readings provide a short course on the meaning of baptism.

·        Thesecond Lenten theme—one with which most of us are now more familiar—is that offasting and renunciation. This theme recalls Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness,and through them the discipline of self-denial reflecting the sacrifice of ourwill to the purpose of God.

   Tuesday, February 16, is the final daybefore the Lenten fast. This day is variously recalled in the celebration ofCarnival (“farewell to meat”) which concluded on “Fat Tuesday” or Mardi Gras,and in Shrove Tuesday’s pancakes (consuming the eggs, milk and fat not allowedduring the fasting of Lent). “Shrove” Tuesday refers to the ancient practice ofbeing “shriven” (confessing and receiving absolution) in order to begin andkeep a holy Lent. At St. Jude’s, we’ll be gathering for a pancake supper at 6:00p.m. Cash donations will be accepted and directed to Episcopal Relief andDevelopment’s Haiti relief efforts.

   The liturgical colors of Lent are purple,for penitence and royalty, or rough unbleached linen, based on the sackcloth ofOld Testament mourning and reflecting the somber mood of the season.