Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII LENT OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS LENT The word Lent means spring, for in the northern hemisphere, where the Christian faith began, Lent is necessarily always observed in that season of the year, as it is the time of preparation for the Easter festival, the date of which is determined by the vernal equinox. This period of preparation is intended to last for forty days, and as it has been made a penitential season it was felt that the Sundays, which are always joyous in commemoration of the Resurrection, could not be included; so that the first day of Lent, commonly called Ash Wednesday, is actually forty-six days before Easter. That curious name was given to the day because of a quaint mediaeval custom of smearing ashes on the forehead on that occasion as a token of sorrow for sin--a custom derived from the ancient Jews. Even now in churches of the Roman . obedience the sanctified palm-branches which have been preserved since Palm Sunday of the previous year are burnt on Ash Wednesday, and the priest, dipping his thumb into the ashes, makes a cross therewith on the forehead of each member of his congregation before beginning the Mass. We have not adopted this custom in our Liberal Catholic Church, as it is not in harmony with our attitude in these matters. The present idea of observing the forty days of Lent was unknown in the early Church. It began with a celebration of forty hours--nt forty days. 129 It was calculated that the Christ--or rather His body--lay in the sepulchre about forty hours, and it was thought by many earnest Christians that it was a meet and fitting thing to observe that time during which the body of our Lord was untenanted as a time of fasting. Fasting then probably meant absolutely going without food;...