Lenten Season

               Lent is considered to be a spiritual season of calm; of reflection about the meaning on human life; repentance for humanity's mistakes and sins; rejection of the world's constant temptations; and also as a time to help the next person, whether neighbor or stranger, by acts of mercy and charity. The word "Lent" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon term "lencten" (relating to the lengthening of days), which translates to "spring".

                This year's Lenten season is not the same as the previous years because of the pandemic. Only limited people can go to church. As social distancing, home quarantine, and cancellation of mass gatherings have become a must in the past couple of weeks, Catholics around the world has experienced an unusual observance of the Lenten season. 

 

                 To prevent the transmission of the virus, churches have been closed in accordance with public health guidelines. Following government restrictions, churches have stopped holding public meetings and instead rely on social media, television, and radio. With the use of social and mass media by churches, the issue of how this impacts one's religious life cannot be overlooked.

                  Even if Catholics are unable to attend church during the Lenten Season, they still enter into a period of fasting, almsgiving , and praying in preparation for Holy Week, when Christ's passion, death, and resurrection are commemorated and celebrated. It's a season of reflecting one's own beliefs, morality, and piety. It confirms every Christian's belief in the resurrection of Christ.

                   Lent is a six-week period in the Christian calendar during which Christians are "encouraged to find their own method of facing their sinfulness, acknowledging their mortality, and giving thanks for the gift of redemption they receive through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. The giving of alms is one way to share God's gifts—not only through the distribution of money, but through the sharing of our time and talents. 

                   Greater intimacy with God is the reward of sacrifice. These 40 days are set aside to praise and worship the Lord; to read the Bible more, and to pray more often. Christians who observe Lent correctly anticipate deeper intimacy with the Lord, which is the blessing; they do not expect rewards such as more favorable answers to prayer or the resolution of health concerns, although many Christians have reported that, following Lent, they experience freedom from long-standing issues.

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