Tuesday 24 February 2009

FORTY DAYS and FORTY NIGHTS

AN ENQUIRY into LENT

TODAY 25 FEBRUARY is ASH WEDNESDAY which marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of fasting and prayer called LENT. Lent lasts for 40 days and 40 nights, the time Christ spent wandering in the wilderness resisting the temptations of the Devil. It ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Traditionally it is marked by acts of abstinence and self sacrifice which last for the whole period of forty days
In contemporary life is this idea still alive? Will you be giving anything up for Lent? Have you even heard of Lent? Do you know of similar seasons in other religions? Are you intrigued to look into the part played by HABIT in your life?

I wonder if you might be interested in joining me to create a record of this year’s Lent as it may be observed, rejected, faltered over by us from now till Easter. This record could take many forms - sacriligious, musical, pictorial, verbal, electronic, - and range as widely as we like into related ideas such as carnival, discipline, charity, poverty, puritanism, other spiritual traditions; and so on.

please let me know if you would like to join in:

by post 79 broadway grantchester cambridge CB3 9 NQ

online via the daily rounds blog section of www.elspethowen.net

I hope very much that you will be in touch and that we can support each other into the Spring

with love from elspeth

1 comment:

eliz said...

Have already posted comments but then had to sign up to google and now have to remember another password, Ash Wednesday, will it be a day like any other apart from the service tonight when I may sit and reflect. I led a service for others on Sunday night about preparing for Lent, but as is often the case I am busy about many things for others and not for me. So today I will try and slow down and think what is going to be best for me in the next 46 day. Eliz PS Briege gave me your contact