What is Lent? When is Lent?

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday (February 14, 2018) and ends the day before Easter. (Easter is April 1, 2018)

 The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

Lent is a season of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection, and think about how our lives need to change. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter" and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on the previous year's Palm Sunday, and placing them on the heads of participants to the accompaniment of the words "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" or "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return"

The three last days during Lent are: (1)  Maundy Thursday when we hear the story of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples and his act of service and love in washing their feet, (2) On Good Friday, we hear of Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, death, and burial, (3) On Saturday at the nighttime Easter Vigil , we hear stories about the amazing things God has done for us. It is a night of light, Scripture readings, baptismal remembrance, and communion—the greatest night of the except for Christmas.  On Easter Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and our new lives in Christ.  Easter falls on a different date each year, sometime between March 22 and April 25.