Lent begins with Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch) and ends on Easter Eve. It commemorates the forty days of fasting and prayer by which Jesus prepared himself for his ministry. (St. Matthew 4:1-11.) Since the 7th Century it has been the beginning of a period of Christian fasting and prayer. It is called Ash Wednesday because, if they wished, penitents could have ashes placed onto their foreheads at the communion rail. The word LENT (Lenz) is actually the old Anglo-Saxon word for "Spring." The "40 days of Lent" is a period of preparation leading up to the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ. There are actually 46 days in the Season of Lent, however, the six Sundays are not counted.

Lent was a time of preparation for Baptism in the early church. Baptismal candidates were required to fast the 40 days before Easter, at which time they were baptized into the Christian faith. Today, Lent is a time for reaffirming baptismal vows. It is a time for growing in the Christian faith, for heart-searching and repentance. It is a time for renewal and self-discipline.

The color for both Advent and Lent is violet because it signifies repentance. White is the color for Christmas, Epiphany, the after-Easter Season and Trinity Sunday, because it is the color of purity, of God, and of the Holy Angels. Red is used on the days commemorating the Apostles as Martyrs, on Reformation Day, Church Anniversaries such as Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day Sunday. Green, the color of living, growing things, in plants and trees, is used as the symbol for the growth of the Church through the lessons of the Word in the Trinity Season. Generally speaking, the year divides itself into two rather equal parts called the Half Year of the Lord and the Half Year of the church. (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.)

Ruth Reichmann
Max Kade German-American Center
Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. Indianapolis

FURTHER RESOURCES compiled by Robert Shea