Well, we are about ready to end the liturgical season of what is referred to as “ordinary time” and enter the season of Lent. Lent this year will start next Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the day after Mardi Gras, and end on April 17th. The period of Lent is 40 days, reminding us of the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the wilderness before the start of His earthly ministry. However, there are also six Sundays interspersed during Lent so the actual time is a little longer than the symbolic 40 days. The last day of Lent will be on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday.
Of course, the season of Lent culminates in the celebration of Easter, the remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus. Lent has been celebrated for thousands of years and Pope Gregory, the 64th Pope, set the first period of Lent in 601 A.D. In fact, Lent was 46 days long – that allowed for 40 days of fasting (only one meal allowed and no meat) as well as six Sundays counted as feast days. Today, some religions allow one full meal and two smaller meals that do not equal one regular meal. There are also banded ages that do not apply to older believers or those that are very young. Generally, the fasting restrictions end at the age of 60.
Lent is a period of abstinence, signifying the expression of sorrow and contrition for the sins we have committed and it gives us a chance to turn away from sin and back to God. The season is closely tied to the fasting and abstinence that Jesus experienced during His time of temptation in the desert. Clearly, Lent is a time for personal reflection, prayer, fasting and movement closer to God.
Pope Gregory, the one who started the official period of Lent – the 40 days of Lent with six Sundays as feast days, also was the one who started the tradition of places ashes in the form of a cross on the foreheads of believers. The cross reinforces the idea that we belong to God and the ashes are a reminder that we are from dust and to dust we shall return. In fact, many churches, particularly in the Catholic faith, actually make reference to the Bible passage on ashes to ashes.
Another thought that comes to mind is the fact that Lent can also be a time of mourning and in Old Testament times, the wearing of ashes and sackcloth were symbols of mourning and repentance. They are reminders that we are to be humble and concentrate on growing closer to our Creator.
When we think of ashes in the Bible, the book of Esther has one of the best examples of ashes and sackcloth. When Mordecai, the uncle of Esther found out all that would happen to the people of God, he put on sackcloth and ashes. In fact, this famous verse is our verse for tonight. We are told, in Esther 4:1-3, “When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.”
My encouragement this evening is that as we enter this time of humility and repentance, it is important to realize that Jesus will eventually rule forever. What sets us apart of every other world religion is that we serve a living God, as we will celebrate on Easter. My prayer is that we will all use this season of Lent to grow closer to our Lord and to remember the times that Jesus spent in the wilderness so long ago. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…