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For many, the season of Lent has come to be associated with a time of penitence and sorrow, a time to refrain from certain activities --”I’m giving up chocolate or meat on Fridays for Lent.” However, Lent and its disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, can also be viewed as a time of growth as we reflect on the mercy of God who claimed us in Baptism and promises to renew us by Christ’s Spirit as we enter into a season of disciplined spiritual practice.


Come to the Cross offers you the opportunity and challenge to journey toward Jerusalem and the cross by exploring the Revised Common Lectionary readings designated for this Lenten season. It is tempting to bypass the somber notes of the Lenten season and rush straight from Ash Wednesday to Easter morning. “Alleluias” sing easier than “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Yet the impact of an empty tomb is most fully experienced when we witness again the passion of Jesus and when we keep vigil at the cross.

Pay attention to the wording of the title of this study:

Cometo the Cross. “Come” is an imperative verb that issues an invitation, a summons to the cross that stands at the core of how we understand the character of God’s love and discipleship. Come to the Crossinvites us to follow a Messiah who came not to inflict suffering on enemies unto death but to love enemies for the sake of their (our) life. It also invites us to trust in God for life even when appearances point to God-forsaken death.

The Scriptures you will be studying are:

Background

Duration of Lent

In Western Christianity (with the exception of the Archdiocese of Milan which follows the Ambrosian Rite), Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday. The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death.

In those churches which follow the Byzantine tradition (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are calculated differently: the fast begins on Clean Monday, Sundays are included in the count, and it ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting.

Origins
The number forty has many Biblical references: the forty days Moses spent on Mount Sinai with God (Exodus 24:18); the forty days and nights Elijah spent walking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); God made it rain for forty days and forty nights in the days of Noah (Genesis 7:4); the Hebrew people wandered forty years traveling to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:33); Jonah in his prophecy of judgment gave the city of Nineveh forty days in which to repent (Jonah 3:4).

Jesus retreated into the desert, where he fasted for forty days, and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2). Jesus overcame all three of Satan's temptations by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil left him, angels ministered to Jesus, and he began his ministry. Jesus further said that his disciples should fast "when the bridegroom shall be taken from them" (Matthew 9:15), a reference to his Passion. Since, presumably, the Apostles fasted as they mourned the death of Jesus, Christians have traditionally fasted during the annual commemoration of his burial.

There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.

Many modern Protestants consider the observation of Lent to be a choice, rather than an obligation. They may decide to give up a favorite food or drink (e.g. chocolate, alcohol) or activity (e.g., going to the movies, playing video games, etc.) for Lent, or they may instead take on a Lenten discipline such as devotions, volunteering for charity work, and so on. Roman Catholics may also observe Lent in this way in addition to the dietary restrictions outlined above, though observation is no longer mandatory under the threat of mortal sin. Many Christians who choose not to follow the dietary restrictions cite 1 Timothy 4:1-5 which warns of doctrines that "forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth."

When observing fasting or abstinence during Lent, regard must be paid to the fact that Sundays are Feast Days, so the fast or abstinence may be broken. If one counts the days from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday, excluding the Sundays, one will see that there are forty of them, corresponding to the number of days Christ spent in the wilderness.

Holy Week and the season of Lent, depending on denomination and local custom, end with Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday or on the morning of Easter Sunday. It is custom for some churches to hold sunrise services which include open air celebrations in some places.