Lent

Churches referred in here:
The Western Church: Consists of Protestants, Catholics, and Anglicans.
The Eastern Church: Consists of the Eastern Orthodox, the Oriental Orthodox, and
the Eastern-rite churches affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.
Mar Thoma church: Reformed Oriental Orthodox Church
(Founder: St Thomas, the Apostle)

The word "Lent" is not in the New Testament, which means it is not recorded as a commandment of Jesus Christ or Apostles. The ancient Church who wrote, collected, canonized, and propagated the New Testament, believed the Lent was a commandment from the Apostles. All churches that have a continuous history extending before AD 1500 observe Lent. The lent, traditionally observed in majority of Christian denominations, is a 40-day liturgical "season of fasting, prayer, penitence, and self-denial, in preparation for Easter. The purpose of the liturgical calendar is to re-live the major events in Jesus' life in real time. Basically, Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for taking stock.

The theme of the Lent is, retreating into the wilderness with Jesus. So the Lent is a period of fasting in commemoration of Christ's fast. So, by observing the 40-days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness. During Lent many Christians choose to live with less, through fasting or some other form of self-denial. The dates of Lent varies each year according to the date of Easter.
Fasting: To eat very little or abstain from certain foods, especially as a religious observance. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that does not involve starvation or dehydration. Often our bodily appetites control actions. The purpose of fasting is to make the bodily appetites our servant rather than our master.
"Real Fasting" is a punishing of the body, compelling the 5 senses to learn to live without the comforts of life.
Medical fasting:
In this modern era, even medical science encourage people to fast. Basically, fasting is required physically and spiritually.

Instruction for 40 Days of fasting:
Canon 5 of the first ecumenical Council of Nicaea in AD 325 mentions Lent as a 40-day period. The 40 day fast was said by Bishop Athanasius in AD 339 to be celebrated all over the world. Thus in the 4th century the instructions to the Bishop candidates, established the length of the Lent.

The Western Church calls this season "Lent" and Eastern Church (Orthodox Church) call it, "Great Lent". In the Eastern Orthodox Church, "Great Lent" is the most important of the 4 Lenten seasons observed by Orthodox Christians and it is so named to differentiate it from the Advent fasting period which is known as "Little Lent".

Great Lent is like a 'workshop' where the character of the faithful is spiritually uplifted and strengthened; where his life is rededicated to the principles and ideals of Gospel; where the faith culminates in deep conviction of life.

Lent is not for the sake of Lent, as fasting is not for the sake of fasting. But they are means, by which and for which, the individual believer prepares himself to reach for, accept and attain the calling of his Savior. Therefore the significance of Great lent is highly appraised by the monks and the lay people. As such, great Lent is the sacred Institute of the Church to serve the individual believer to improve the standards of faith and morals in his Christian life.

Among many Christians today, Lent is a time for doing penance by praying, studying the life and teachings of Christ, refraining from sin, and giving time and money to charities. Many give up something pleasurable during Lent, such as a favorite food, coffee, alcohol, dining out, or TV. To give up something means abandon a pleasurable habit as an act of devotion and self-discipline. Originally, meat, fish, milk, eggs, and cheese were forbidden during Lent.

In recent years the Roman Catholic Church has relaxed its strictly regulated laws on fasting. According to an apostolic constitution issued by Pope Paul VI in February 1966, in USA fasting during Lent is obligatory only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these 2 days Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 may eat only one full meal. Catholics age 14 or older are requested to abstain from meat on every Friday during Lent. He recommended that fasting may be appropriate to the local economic situation, and all Catholics voluntarily fast and abstain. These regulations do not apply when the ability to work or the health of a person would be negatively affected.

Fasting practices vary widely among other Christian denominations and between individuals. Common practices include abstaining from meat, eating only one full meal each day, fasting entirely one day each week. Many modern Protestants consider the observation of Lent to be a choice, rather than an obligation. Roman catholics may also observe Lent in this way, though observation is no longer mandatory under the threat of mortal sin.

The Christians who choose not to follow the dietary restrictions cite 1 Timothy4:1-5 which warns of doctrines that "forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth".

Ash Wednesday: On Ash Wednesday (7th Wednesday before Easter), a priest or pastor marks a cross on the forehead of Parishioners. The ashes are obtained from the burned palms used in the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration. This ritual is blessed with a passage from Genesis 3:19(KJV), "for dust thou art, unto dust thou shall return". The ashes symbolize repentance and purification.

Dates:
1. Western Church:
The Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the Lent and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. In the early Church, Wednesdays and Fridays were fast days. Thus the first Wednesday got prominence in Western Church. They skip Sunday for calculating 40 days, because Sunday commemorate the Resurrection (Mini Easter). So it is a 40-day period 'before' Easter, Sundays excluded.

In Roman Catholic Church, Lent officially ends at sundown on Holy Thursday(Maundy Thursday), with the beginning of the Mass of the Lord's Supper.

2. Eastern Church:
Eastern Orthodox Church follow the Byzantine tradition and the 40 days of Lent calculated differently. Orthodox Church does not skip over Sundays when calculating the length of the Great Lent. Here the Great Lent always begin on Clean Monday (7th Monday before Easter) ie. Monday before Ash Wednesday, and ends on the eve of Lazarus Saturday, ie. Friday evening before Palm Sunday. The Great Lent is followed by Lazarus Saturday(Saturday before Palm Sunday) and Palm Sunday, which are feast days. Lenten fast is relaxed on both these days, in honor of the Sabbath(Saturday) and the Resurrection(Sunday). Then the Lent fast resumes on Monday and continues through the Holy week until Easter Sunday which is considered a distinct period of fasting. Thus Technically, in the Eastern Church, Holy week is a separate Season from the Great Lent.

3. Mar Thoma Church:
Our Church use a different calendar. The Mar Thoma Church celebrates Lent and passion week combined, a 50-day period. Probably, it is because we are following a liturgical calendar similar to Eastern Orthodox Church. We are recognized as, a "Reformed Oriental Orthodox Church". We also call this season "Great Lent(or Valia Nombu)" and it has 50 days, beginning 7th Sunday before Easter Sunday. ie. 7 whole weeks plus Easter make up 50 days, including all Sundays. The Church does not skip Sundays. We do not observe 'Ash Wednesday ( also called the signing of the Cross=Kurshu Vara Perunal)', and 'Lazarus Saturday'. Thus the Great Lent is 40 days of our Lord's fast in the wilderness and 10 days to commemorate the passion of Christ, a total of 50 days combined and continuous. (The last 10 days are not exactly 10 days. It consists of 2 partial days and 8 whole days. That is, partial Friday, Saturday through Holy Saturday- 8 whole days, and partial Easter Sunday, ie. considered 10 days together.)

The faithful members of Mar Thoma Church are urged to observe some restrictions in eating and drinking and in their life style during this period. Usually the people forgo meat, fish, butter, and other enriching food. Though once Mar Thoma Church followed a stricter fasting and diet, modern Marthomites relaxed the practice on fasting and dietary restriction. Lately voluntary fasting on the part of the people of the Church is largely lost, I should say.

It makes sense to me that Mar Thoma Church forefathers' Lent calculation and the placement of 40 days before Passion week is more reasonable than Western Church calculation. Jesus met with His disciples, He had supper at Bethany on Lazarus Saturday, instructed disciples to get the Ass(donkey) for Palm Sunday, and organized things for the passion week etc. tells that Jesus must have been in town by Friday which brings up to 10 days. Technically, Lent and passion week is a combination of both ends of Jesus' public ministry which lasted 3 to 4 years. Jesus started his public ministry, at about 30 years of age, just after the 40 days of fasting and the associated events and ended with death and resurrection. There is no evidence in Bible that Jesus' fast excluded Sundays.

Passion Week(Holy Week) celebration of Mar Thoma Church:
(First Passion Week was in April, AD 30 according to historians)

Hosanna Sunday(Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday): Special Service with Holy Communion.

Passion week Monday: Evening worship(Sandhya namaskaram)- Optional.

Passion week Tuesday and Passover Wednesday: Evening worship @
7:00 pm-8:30 pm.

Passover Thursday(Eucharist, the greatest remembrance): Evening worship @
7:00 pm-9:00 pm. Most Church offer Holy Communion on Thursday.

Good Friday(Crucifixion & Burial): a special 3 part Service (9am-3pm), with a traditional Kerala Christian 'Good Friday Lunch' of "Kanji and Payar" after the 2nd part of service; (Donuts and Pizza may not give a traditional touch).

Holy Saturday: No Service.

Easter Sunday(Resurrection-Celebration of Life): Service with Holy Communion. Traditionally this service start at 3 or 4am, but gradually the start time moved to between 6am and 8am, as the life style picked up another momentum.

Note: Generally, the schedule of passion week is governed by the local church according to the availability of the clergy.

Glossary:
Byzantine: 1. Eastern Orthodox Church or rites performed in it;
2. Churches using a traditional Greek rite and subject to eastern canon Law; 3. eastern part of the late Roman empire.
Penitence: 1. regret for one's sins or misdeeds; 2. repentance; 3. remorse for your past conduct.
Penance: 1. a sacramental rite practiced in Roman, Eastern, and some Anglican Churches that consists of confession, absolution, and a penitential discipline imposed by the confessor; 2. Christian sacrament of reconciliation(a person confesses sins to a priest and is forgiven after performing a religious devotion or duty such as praying or fasting).
rite: a solemn ceremony or procedure customary to a religious group. eg. the rites of baptism, rites of courtship, the Roman or Anglican rite.
ritual: 1. Observance of set forms in public worship; 2. prescribed procedure for a religious rite. eg. orthodox ritual, a ritual dance, a weekend car-washing ritual, ritual observance, her ritual morning exercises.
Self-denial: 1. denial/sacrifice of own desires/interests voluntarily or enforced by circumstances; 2. trait of practicing self discipline; 3. curbing one's desires; 4. unselfishness.

Colors for decorations: Purple or blue, the royal colors to prepare for the King.

Goal:
The deep intent of the believer during the Lent is "forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14.)