Lent
Today is Ash Wedenesday and marks the beginning of Lent in the Western Christian Church. Not all Christians celebrate Lent as there is no Biblical demand for it but for most it is an important tradition.
Christians are expected to pray and fast as part of their faith but there are few designated times to do this. There isn't a part of the Bible where Jesus says "On the third day of the fifth month you will fast all day". As a result Christians have created certain traditions of when we collectively fast. Fasting or using self denial as a community has its advantages such as a support network and a clear time of when you should begin and end the period. It also doesn't prevent individual or small group fastings at other times of the year.
Lent has its origins in the early days of the church, probably within a couple of centuries of Christianity beginning and definately well before the Emperor Constantine legalised Christianity. At the time it would have been taken by people new to Christianity before they were baptised. The forty days of Lent symbolises the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert where he was tempted by the devil and is a time for reflection and repentance. The new Christians would have denied themselves food that was considered luxourious or non-essential such as dairy produce. The last forty hours of Lent (Good Friday to Easter Sunday) would have a total fast without food. On Easter Sunday the new converts would have been baptised and welcomed. The only exceptions to this were Sundays. Every Sunday is a mini-Easter for Christians, a celebration of the resurrection of Christ, so they were not considered part of Lent.
Today it is sometimes seen as a bit strange to want to deny yourself food unless you're on a specific diet. Despite this many people still celebrate Lent. It is quite similar to the tradition from 1600 years ago but is usually done by all Christians rather than just those wanting to be baptised. Most Christians will give up a single luxury or vice for Lent rather than all of them however some will give up dairy products, sweets, meat and alcohol. The total fast for forty hours is no longer followed by many Christians either however most Christians who can will fast at times of their own choosing during the year. The money or time saved from self denial during Lent is usually given to a worthy cause such as a charity of church mission.
Even if there aren't instructions on when to fast and pray in the Bible there are strict instructions on what is expected of you when you do. Your prayers and fast are between you and God. You’re not supposed to show off about how great you are because of how much you're fasting or praying. Fasting isn't a competition between believers to see who can give up the most either as you don’t know the circumstances of other Christians and why they have given up what they have. Neither are you meant to become miserable from self denial. If you're giving something up or fasting you should continue as normal and where possible not let it show. It is a private act not a public one.
So blessings to all who are taking part in Lent this year, I wish you all the best. And to those who do not celebrate lent I hope you found the above useful to explain a little bit about why Christians celebrate Lent in the way they do. Please leave your own messages for Lent in the comments section.