An explanation of the 2015 Lenten season

Updated: February 22, 2023

Groom, TX

A picture depicting the 40 days of Lent was posted on social media and a question arose about the significance.  I will attempt to make a long story short with an explanation, but some things are difficult to shorten like the celebration leading up to Halloween (Chalk night, Soap night, Mischief night, Halloween and All-Souls Day), but that’s another article.

Groom, TX

 The season of Lent for 2015 starts on Ash Wednesday (February 18^th) and ends on the Saturday (April 4^th) before Easter (Resurrection Sunday, Pascha), and is roughly calculated as 40 days.  It’s a time of, fasting, prayer, repentance from sin, and a time of remembrance of the pain, suffering, death and final resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 12:12 – John 21:14).

From the reference picture below, let’s back up a day and include the celebration of Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.  This is a day that makes it permissible to ‘go hog wild’ in eating, drinking and all-around-sinning before people make a ‘Lenten sacrifice’ to abstain from such physical pleasures.

Ash Wednesday is the next day of Lent.  On this day, old palm branches, from the previous year, are burned and the ashes are collected for the priest to make the sign of the cross on the forehead of some believers, as an outward sign of repentance for their sins.

The five Sundays of Lent is explained in the second paragraph above (see the link: roughly calculated as 40 days).

The “Stations of the Cross”, which are depicted in most Catholic and Lutheran churches, give an overall look into the Road to Calvary that Jesus took some 2000 years ago.  Take a look at the slide show and see the bronze life-sized sculptures of each occurrence that is depicted in the Groom, Texas location.

Palm Sunday is the next event of the Passion of the Christ.  This is the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a borrowed donkey.  The people waved palm branches in honor of His coming into town.  These would be the same people who later had Jesus crucified to death.

Maundy or Holy Thursday is the day of the Last Supper and the Agony in the Garden.  You can look at the links to get more information on the time right before the death of Christ.

Good Friday, Great Friday or Holy Friday – some people may associate this day as the day that Christ died.  There are philosopher who have a difference of opinions.

Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday, Pascha) is the day that our Lord rose from the grave and Ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of Father God (The Holy Trinity).  Christians believe that He rose, yet remains alive in those who believe in the sanctity of the written Word of God.

Easter Monday – By this time, this writer has exhausted trying to find a good reason for Christians to celebrate this day except to revert back to the pagan ritual of Easter traditions.  The 40 days of Lent was over yesterday.

There are many controversies about the exact day of the week that some of these events took place, nonetheless, they DID occur according to the scriptures.  There are also signs and symbols that are associated with the Lenten season.  The season of Lent is a time of reflection, change and starting a “new”, yet wouldn’t it be a good thing if people would focus on Godly things all during the years of their life on this earth?

This article is intended to clarify why some religious practices still happen today, and it is not intended to disrespect or belittle anyone’s beliefs or traditions.

As of 2022, a lot of things have changed within different churches, yet the Spirit of God remains the same. throughout the world. 

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Remembering Passover today

It is Good Friday 2021, during a pandemic, and I have another chance to reminisce of the events that Jesus endured over 2000 years ago. Why was it called “Good”? I guess, to fulfill the outcome of Jesus’ suffering & dying (as prophesied in the Old Testament); but the good news is that He rose again and is alive in us today.

After spending 12 years in Catholic School, I realize that I learned of Christ then, but now, I really know Him. Rituals are also different than they were years ago. There is not as much kneeling, but one still gets their exercise from standing and sitting repeatedly.

The service at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church was an hour and twenty minutes of time well spent in worship. There was also a dramatization from actors giving an account of each station as seen from the eyes of those that might have been a witness during Christs’ time. The programs that were offered, assisted those who were following along.

There are several denominations that display the Stations of the Cross and they are: Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Roman Catholic. Since we are coming through COVID-19, most churches are still having everyone wear a mask & keep socially distant.

Stations of the Cross, also called Way of the Cross, is a series of 14 pictures or carvings portraying events in the Passion of Christ, from his condemnation by Pontius Pilate to his entombment.
The series of stations is as follows: (1) Jesus is condemned to death, (2) He is made to bear his cross, (3) He falls the first time, (4) He meets his mother, (5) Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross, (6) Veronica wipes Jesus’ face, (7) He falls the second time, (8) the women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus, (9) He falls the third time, (10) He is stripped of his garments, (11) He is nailed to the cross, (12) He dies on the cross, (13) He is taken down from the cross, and (14) He is placed in the sepulcher.
The images are usually mounted on the inside walls of a church or chapel.

What are the ‘Stations of the Cross’ all about?

Have you ever heard people talking about going to church and reciting or praying the “Stations of the Cross”?  Have you wondered what they were doing or if the Stations are religious and of God?  According to Wikipedia, “The object of the stations is to help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in most Roman Catholic as well as in a number of Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist churches.”

To see the photos of the statues from Groom Texas, go to the Examiner page to see and read the facts.

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