What is Lent and why does it last 40 days?

Each year, the Church invites the faithful to experience a special time of spiritual preparation called Lent. For many, this period raises specific questions: what is Lent, when does it begin, what changes are there in the Mass, what practices are recommended, and how to live it authentically in the midst of daily life.

Lent is not just a set of traditions or a series of external rules. It is a spiritual path that leads to the most important celebration of the Christian faith: Easter, the mystery of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through prayer, fasting, charity, and participation in the liturgy, the Church proposes a time of inner conversion and renewal of the heart. With these practices we want to imitate the Lord, dying to ourselves, taking up our own cross and following him to Calvary. And in this way, after this time of overcoming ourselves, we can spiritually rise with Him.

What is Lent?

Lent is a liturgical season of spiritual preparation that the Catholic Church celebrates before Easter. It extends over forty days, from Ash Wednesday to the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. During this period, the faithful are invited to a true and profound conversion of heart.

When someone asks what is Lent, the answer is not limited to a set of rules or external practices. It is, above all, a time of reflection, penance, and hope. It reminds us of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and praying before beginning his public life. Therefore, this time invites Christians to stop, review their lives, and prepare themselves spiritually to celebrate the central mystery of the faith: the Resurrection of Christ.

What is the biblical and liturgical origin of Lent?

To fully understand what Lent is, it is necessary to consider its biblical origin and its development within the liturgy of the Church. From its beginnings, this liturgical season was linked to the spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter, especially for those who were to receive Baptism.

From a biblical point of view, Lent is inspired by several fundamental events in the history of salvation. The number forty has a strong symbolic value in the Bible: it recalls the forty days of the flood, the forty years of the people of Israel in the desert, the forty days of Moses on Sinai and, in a special way, the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert, fasting and praying before beginning his public life. These moments always express a time of testing, purification, and preparation for a new stage. These meanings help us to understand what Lent is in the Catholic liturgy.

Regarding its liturgical origin, Lent began to take shape progressively in the early centuries of Christianity. Already in the fourth century there is evidence of a more intense period of preparation for Easter, focused on penance and conversion. In this context, Lent fulfilled a double function: to accompany the catechumens who were preparing to receive the sacraments of Christian initiation at the Easter Vigil and to offer the entire community a time of spiritual renewal.

Over time, the Church structured this period in the liturgical calendar, establishing common practices, its own biblical texts, and characteristic signs in the celebration of the Mass. We could summarize what Lent is by affirming that it is a strong time of the liturgical year, marked by sobriety, silence, and the constant call to conversion, always oriented towards Easter joy.

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When does Lent begin?

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The specific dates change each year because they depend on the date of Easter, which is not fixed on the calendar.

The beginning of Lent is marked by Ash Wednesday, the day on which the faithful receive the imposition of ashes as a sign of conversion and penance. From that moment on, the Church begins a time of spiritual preparation that extends for forty days.

Lent does not include the entire Holy Week. Liturgically, it concludes on Holy Thursday afternoon, when the Easter Triduum begins. Therefore, although many people associate Lent with the entire Holy Week, these are distinct liturgical moments.

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What spiritual practices are recommended during Lent?

To understand what Lent is in its deepest sense, it is important to look at the spiritual practices that the Church proposes to live during this time. It is not just about complying with external rules, but about following a path of inner conversion that prepares the heart to die with the Lord on the cross and rise with Him at Easter.

Traditionally, Lenten spirituality is based on three fundamental pillars:

Prayer

Lent invites us to intensify our personal and community prayer life. This can be expressed through:

• more frequent participation in the Eucharist, for example, going to Mass during the week.

• half an hour of Lectio Divina,

• praying the Stations of the Cross,

• one hour of weekly Eucharistic adoration

• daily examination of conscience before sleeping.

Prayer helps to stop the accelerated daily rhythm and refocus life on God.

Fasting

Fasting is a penitential practice that seeks to educate the heart and strengthen inner freedom. Beyond abstinence from food, the Church proposes to live fasting as a gesture that helps to:

• detach from the superfluous,

• moderate the desire to possess more,

• become aware of one’s own needs and limits.

Lived with spiritual meaning, fasting reminds us that Lent is a time of necessary stripping to follow the Lord.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving expresses the solidarity dimension of Lent. It implies opening oneself to others, especially those who need it most, through:

• concrete gestures of financial aid,

• practices of the works of mercy.

What changes are there in the Holy Mass during Lent?

During Lent, the Holy Mass presents a series of liturgical changes that help to express the penitential character and spiritual preparation proper to this time. Understanding these signs allows us to participate more consciously in the celebrations.

The Alleluia is omitted

One of the best-known signs is the suppression of the Alleluia before the proclamation of the Gospel. This song, associated with Easter joy, is reserved for Easter, and its absence during Lent expresses a time of waiting and sobriety.

The Gloria is not sung

Except for solemnities and particular feasts, the Gloria is neither sung nor recited during Lent. This liturgical silence reinforces the climate of penance and preparation, orienting the celebration towards Easter.

Use of the liturgical color purple

The predominant color in the ornaments is purple, symbol of conversion, penance, and recollection. In some special moments, such as the fourth Sunday of Lent (Sunday Laetare), the color pink can be used as a sign of hope and anticipated joy.

Greater sobriety in the celebration

During Lent, the excessive use of flowers and ornaments on the altar is avoided. The liturgy adopts a simpler style.

Penitential celebrations and confessions

In addition to Mass, many parishes offer penitential celebrations, special days of confession in which several priests dedicate an afternoon to confessing the faithful. These celebrations help to live more fully the call to conversion proper to this liturgical season.

Stations of the Cross

During Lent, the celebration of the Stations of the Cross is customary, especially on Fridays. This devotion recalls and relives the way of the cross of Jesus.

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What biblical readings are proclaimed during Lent?

The biblical readings of Lent are carefully selected by the Church to accompany the path of conversion and preparation for Easter. Through the Word of God, the liturgy helps to better understand what Lent is and what its spiritual meaning is within the liturgical year. During this time, the readings of the Mass present some characteristic features.

The first readings, taken mainly from the Old Testament, recall key moments in the history of salvation: God’s covenant with his people, the call to fidelity, the conversion of the heart, and hope in the divine promise. These texts dialogue directly with the Gospel of the day.

On the Sundays of Lent, the Gospels occupy a central place and follow a progressive journey. On the first Sundays, passages such as:

• the temptations of Jesus in the desert,
• the Transfiguration,
• clear calls to conversion,
• the resurrection of Lazarus

As Easter approaches, the Gospels delve into the last days of the Lord on earth before his Passion.

The second readings, generally taken from the letters of Saint Paul, invite us to live a new life in Christ, highlighting themes such as reconciliation, grace, faith, and inner transformation, central elements to understand what Lent is.

In addition to the Sunday readings, the Masses of the weekdays in Lent present their own cycle of readings that reinforces the daily call to conversion.

How to live Lent well?

To live Lent well, we must first understand what Lent is. It is a time that the Church gives us for inner preparation for Easter, rather than as a set of external obligations. It is an invitation to stop, review one’s life, correct what takes us away from the Lord, and renew our friendship with Him, uniting ourselves especially to His Son.

To do this, the Church proposes a simple and profound path, sustained in three fundamental attitudes: prayer, fasting, and charity. Prayer helps to rediscover God in the midst of daily life; fasting educates the heart and orders desires; and charity opens us to concrete attention towards others, especially those who need it most.

Participating more consciously in the Holy Mass, listening to the Word of God, approaching the sacrament of reconciliation, and joining celebrations proper to this time, such as the Stations of the Cross, help us to live Lent more fully.