Many of us Christians have always been present in "Lenten season". What is "Lenten season?" and why do we attend to it? Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a time of preparation for Easter, when we celebrate the Lord's Resurrection. We pray to the Lord by reading Words Of god, serve by giving alms, and cultivate self-control by fasting during Lent.
Throughout Easter, we are called not only to refrain from indulgences, but also to a deep interior conversion of heart as we attempt to more truly follow Christ's wishes. We celebrate the waters of christening, where we were baptized into Christ's death, death to sin and evil, and new life in Christ. The most striking feature of Holy Week celebrations in the Philippines is the sight of Filipinos publicly whipping themselves. These are reenactments of the torture and death of Jesus. Some Filipinos not only whip their backs into a bloody mess — they also have their feet and hands nailed to a wooden cross. Tourists come from all over the world for the sight!
Not only that there are also interesting facts that you would like to know! As i said earlier, lent is the period of 40 days before Easter in the Christian calendar where Sundays are not included in the count. It falls on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter Sunday. Furthermore, violet is the symbolic color for Lent, with altars, statues and other religious paraphernalia veiled in violet fabric. Why violet? The color is associated with mourning, which anticipates Christ's pain and suffering on the cross; and royalty, which celebrates Christ's resurrection. Lastly, during Lent, the faithful are encouraged to surrender a particular vice, such as smoking or favorite food items, as a reflection of Jesus' deprivation in the wilderness and test of self-discipline.
In 2020, Covid-19 an infectious disease hit the whole world where everyone was badly affected. During the outbreak, Catholics are longing to return to communal worship. However, because of the pandemic people who attend masses are limited and they also implemented a online masses where everyone could easily be at. This year, since churches are open, some parishioners can attend the mass physically as long as they follow the safety protocols. Also, since there are still online masses, the faithful may attend the Holy Eucharist and have the blessing of the palm online.
As a Christian myself, I am really glad that despite the crisis we are facing the faith of humanity showing how important Jesus in our life is so heart warming. Having online masses are really smart way especially this kind of situation because many of us are still agitated to the virus. I also really like the idea of attending mass physically. However, knowing us, there are times we forget to follow the safety protocols which worried me because the pandemic is not yet completely gone. All in all, I think we should remember that the Lenten practices we are typically accustomed to adopting each year were created for humankind, not humankind for these practices. With this in mind, I want to suggest that Christians take a very different tack this year, one that requires of all of us patience, thoughtfulness and discernment. I believe that a good way to spend Lent in the pandemic is by focusing on the basic practices of our Christian faith.
Finally, we are reminded that god so loved the world that he gave us his only son to save us from our sins through his death on the cross. That being said, pray not only because you need something but because you have a lot to thank God for.
References: https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.tatlerasia.com%2Fasiatatler%2Fi%2Fph%2F2020%2F03%2F31165114-13346376-10206197887607876-3804065936556585647-o_cover_1338x888.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tatlerasia.com%2Fthe-scene%2Fpeople-parties%2Flenten-season-2020-amid-covid-19&tbnid=qtuaDyut-RPjaM&vet=12ahUKEwjIgNn4u7b2AhWcx4sBHRRtDhQQMygSegUIARCtAQ..i&docid=EnL539Xy-xTESM&w=1338&h=888&q=lenten%20season%20during%20pandemic&ved=2ahUKEwjIgNn4u7b2AhWcx4sBHRRtDhQQMygSegUIARCtAQ
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https://www.ncregister.com/blog/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-lent?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmpyRBhC-ARIsABs2EApA-6hetOY4KGc8N2SURx3WZOHjhtmaTePbR-wznGNQ-DCbLy-fGLwaAk5dEALw_wcB
https://www.tagaloglang.com/holy-week-in-the-philippines/
Hi there! I appreciate your post about the “Lenten Season Observance”, coz it really makes me aware of the lenten season. Yes, it’s true that lent is a time to correct our bad habits and make ourselves a little bit more in Christ's image, and lent is also a time for sacrifice. During this season, we have the opportunity to sacrifice something that is meaningful to us, and it is really important to celebrate.
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