The Lent Event

The practice of fasting before Easter probably dates back to New Testament times but it wasn't until the fifth century that a forty-day fast leading up to Easter became fairly standard practice througout the Church. It became known as "Lent" - the original word meant simply "the Spring season". It also became a time of preparation for new believers who were then baptised "into new life" on Easter Day. Today, for the practicing Christian, Lent is a time for renewal - to prepare ourselves again to commit to Christ as we renew our Baptismal vows on Easter Day. The traditional Lent disciplines of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving help us to focus more on God, to take stock of our lives, to appreciate what we have and what Jesus Christ has done for us. What discipline{s} have you taken on this Lent? Please share with us in Swan Symposium your own thoughts and experiences. How are you finding your Lent disipline? Is this the first time you've done it? Is it easy or hard? Have you decided, for some reason, not to take on a discipline? Tell us about it.