# THE LENTEN SEASON 2013



## Rsgal (Feb 13, 2013)

Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Lenten Season 2013. 

For our Eastern Rite Catholic brethren, Lent on Monday (Clean Monday).

It begins 46 days before Easter but it only 40 days long because Sundays are not included.

Lent is practiced by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans (some branches of it).  Methodists pretty much always recognize Lent as a season these days, and they generally have an Ash Wednesday service. 
Presbyterians and other Reformed denominations have come to embrace Lent more and more, but it's not universal. 
This is a practice that is spreading on the whole and some occasional Baptists are embracing it too. 

Today we start the holy and spiritual journey of Lent, as we observe Ash Wednesday, a time to “remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.” During Lent, we fast, pray, repent and prepare the way for the risen Christ.

Lent is our dedicated time to prepare for the mystery of Christ’s death and Resurrection. It is our time to focus on the foundation of our life in Christ, which began with our baptism. We are called to examine how we live our commitment to our faith, to pray for grace and strength, and to reflect on changes we can make in our life that will bring us even closer to God.

http://achristianpilgrim.wordpress....hop-fulton-j-sheens-messages-lenten-season-1/


> ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN’S MESSAGES – LENTEN SEASON  2011
> 
> 
> [1] It’s never too late. In Lent, we should look ahead rather than back. Though time is too precious to waste, it must never be thought that what was lost is irretrievable. Once the Divine is introduced, then comes the opportunity to make up for losses. GOD IS THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE.
> ...


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## PinkPebbles (Feb 13, 2013)

Thanks for posting!

I'm a member of a Methodist church and we celebrate the Lenten season. 

I didn't plan on going to church tonight but I decided to go now:Blush2:.


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## LiftedUp (Feb 14, 2013)

Thank you for this.

*fast, pray, repent and prepare the way for the risen Christ*

I am celebrating Lent as well.  I look forward to this time to fast, prayer, repent and renew.  I am focusing on a Christ centred life this year vs one filled with manmade idols (money, material gain etc.)

Some Presberyterians celebrate it as well, we usually get our Lenten booklets from them.


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 14, 2013)

I went to Mass and received my ashes last night.
I will post more about my personal Lenten season later in this thread. 

During the Mass we were provided small nails for us to carry with us during this Lenten season. The following are excepts from the Lent 2013 sheet we received last night:


			
				From the Lent 2013 bulletin said:
			
		

> Lenten Nails: A Reflection Exercise for Lent
> Carry your nail during the 40 days of Lent as a reminder of Jesus' great love for each and every one of us.  When you feel the nail, pause for a moment to think of the immensity of our Lord's love when He was nailed to the Cross, and how you reflect that love in the world around you.
> 
> In the Lenten Tradition there are three pillars:
> ...


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 14, 2013)

The Gospel Reading 2-13-2013:

Matthew 6:1-6 - New Living Translation (NLT) 
*Teaching about Giving to the Needy*
Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

*Teaching about Prayer and Fasting*
5 When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Matthew 6:16-18 - (NLT)
16 And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.​


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## PinkPebbles (Feb 14, 2013)

AtlantaJJ said:


> I went to Mass and received my ashes last night.
> I will post more about my personal Lenten season later in this thread.
> 
> During the Mass we were provided small nails for us to carry with us during this Lenten season. The following are excepts from the Lent 2013 sheet we received last night:


 
AtlantaJJ I went to church last night and received my ashes as well. The service and sermon was beautiful. The message was let us all examine our hearts and repent. This is not a season to be depressed and use it as an excuse to wallow in sin; but to humble ourselves and ask God for help and mercy while He can still be found.


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 14, 2013)

February 14, 2013
Meditation: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Choose life...(Deuteronomy 30:19)


			
				From the Word Amoung Us said:
			
		

> The Israelites were just about to enter the Promised Land. Forty years of waiting and wandering had finally come to
> an end, and Moses was preparing the people for the next phase of their history: the time when God would bring
> them into a land flowing with milk and honey.
> So standing before the Israelites, Moses issued them the most important challenge they would ever hear. Would they choose life by following Yahweh’s commands? Or would they choose death by following their own ways and
> ...


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 15, 2013)

From "The Word Among Us" said:
			
		

> Meditation: Isaiah 58:1-9
> This, rather, is the fasting that I wish. (Isaiah 58:6)
> 
> Of the three practices that we focus on in Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—it’s the latter that we can find the most challenging. While many of us do give to the needy during Lent, it can be harder to find opportunities to serve the poor in person.
> ...



Psalm 51:3-6, 18-19; Matthew 9:14-15


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## blazingthru (Feb 15, 2013)

what is the purpose of Lent? Its not biblical. If it is where is it?  what is the purpose of the Ash. I found no reference in the bible to do this.  I did find other history on Lent and its not Christian based, but so many are participating in this season and I am curious as to why?


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## LiftedUp (Feb 15, 2013)

blazingthru said:


> what is the purpose of Lent? Its not biblical. If it is where is it?  what is the purpose of the Ash. I found no reference in the bible to do this.  I did find other history on Lent and its not Christian based, but so many are participating in this season and I am curious as to why?



Lent is a time some Christians around the world join together in fasting, and focusing on the word.  It may not be in the Bible as other Christian observations such as Christmas however it is built on Biblical principles.

The ash is from the palms burnt from the Palm Sunday of the previous year which remembers Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem when palms branches lined the street.  It is the Sunday before Easter Sunday.

I do not think that Jesus would be upset that some Christians view this as a holy period and prayed, fasted and on Good Friday do pennants.  

I have celebrated Lent as a child and I look forward to this time every year.

Hope this answers your questions blazingthru


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## PinkPebbles (Feb 16, 2013)

LiftedUp said:


> Lent is a time some Christians around the world join together in fasting, and focusing on the word. It may not be in the Bible as other Christian observations such as Christmas however it is built on Biblical principles.
> 
> The ash is from the palms burnt from the Palm Sunday of the previous year which remembers Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem when palms branches lined the street. It is the Sunday before Easter Sunday.
> 
> ...


 
LiftedUp beautifully stated.

It's always a blessing when the children of God consecrate their hearts and minds unto the Lord, whether it's done individually or as a corporate body.


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## blazingthru (Feb 17, 2013)

LiftedUp said:


> Lent is a time some Christians around the world join together in fasting, and focusing on the word.  It may not be in the Bible as other Christian observations such as Christmas however it is built on Biblical principles.
> 
> The ash is from the palms burnt from the Palm Sunday of the previous year which remembers Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem when palms branches lined the street.  It is the Sunday before Easter Sunday.
> 
> ...




Thank you LiftedUp for answering my question.  I agree that so many Christians celebrate holidays that are not biblical an in some cases, that is fine when you are doing the things you mentioned above, however when its connected to Pagan Traditions, we should be very careful.  You said something  that made me pause a moment, What does God really think about us celebrating Pagan Holidays but changing them to honor him.  I honestly do not think he is pleased at all. But this is worth looking into. *Matthew 15:9 *(KJV 1900)
9 But in _*vain they do worship me*_, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. This is the scripture that stands out the most to me. How can we worship God in Vain, but he said in Vain for following the traditions of men instead of Gods Commandments. I raised my children in Catholic School, I never questioned anything.  I was annoyed that they came home dirty, because that is how I viewed it, but never questioned it. I was not very spiritual.  It  was when I became spiritual I started to question the things we do and not aware of the true meaning.


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## ktykaty (Feb 18, 2013)

blazingthru

Historically, lent is a season of preparation for the catechumens who are going to be baptized on easter and they are called to fast, pray and give. 
It's a forty day season because Jesus fasted during forty days before starting his public ministry and the Israeli people spent 40 years in the desert before entering promised land. 

Nowadays, all the church practices lent, because we are praying in communion with and for the catechumens and because we also need to become more Christ like.  

Lent is a biblically based tradition. There's nothing pagan about it.


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## Rsgal (Feb 18, 2013)

Thanks @AtlantaJJ for the reflection readings you've been posting.

_My hope is that this thread will be a place for all that are observing Lent, regardless of their religious affiliations, to share scriptures and reflections and be encouraging to one another._

*This should not be the place to Catholic bash or to air religious grievances.*


As seen, by most of the posters here, Lent is NOT a Catholic Only practice.


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 18, 2013)

Reading & Meditation for February 18, 2013
Meditation: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
1st Week of Lent 

I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)


			
				The Word Among Us said:
			
		

> In Leo Tolstoy’s tale “Martin the Cobbler,” Martin is told in a dream that Jesus will come to see him. He spends the next day nervously glancing out the window of his shop, looking for Jesus to walk down the street. Several times that day, Martin breaks away from his vigil to welcome and help needy passersby: a weary worker, a freezing mother and infant, and an old woman angry with a misbehaving boy. That night, Martin puzzles over why Jesus never showed up. Just then, he hears a voice asking, “Martin, don’t you know me?” Through the darkness he sees all his needy visitors, each one saying, “It is I.” They could just as easily have been quoting today’s first reading, in which God tells the Israelites over and over, “I am the Lord.”When Moses reminded the Israelites not to steal or deal falsely with their neighbors, or slander or hate, each admonition reminded them that it was the Lord himself they would be offending. Similarly, in today’s Gospel, when Jesus told the people about the final judgment, he made the same point. Our actions done to even the least of his brethren are done to him.
> 
> In Jesus’ parable, the “goats” argued that since they had never seen the Lord, they shouldn’t be faulted for failing to serve him. And the “sheep” were just as surprised to learn that their acts of kindness toward the needy were really actions done to the Lord. Just like Martin the cobbler, these folks learned that by taking care of the people who crossed their path, they were actually meeting Jesus.
> 
> ...


Psalm 19:8-10, 15; Matthew 25:31-46


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## blazingthru (Feb 19, 2013)

Rsgal said:


> Thanks @AtlantaJJ for the reflection readings you've been posting.
> 
> _My hope is that this thread will be a place for all that are observing Lent, regardless of their religious affiliations, to share scriptures and reflections and be encouraging to one another._
> 
> ...



It was a question and a statement of my experience, I was not bashing the Catholic's how so when I said I raised my children in Catholic's school. Actually I grew up in Baptist and Methodist and the Church of God and I went to mass.  We never celebrated Lent it was never discussed.  In school during Lent Season we had fish on Friday period.  Also being the faith that I am now I get questions all the time, I get made fun of, talked about, even mistreated I am always striving to give an answer for the faith that I believe regardless.  I am always WILLING to learn and to study and understand my own faith so that when I get questions that might make me doubt this or that I will be able to give an answer. Every question is an opportunity to teach.


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 19, 2013)

Reading & Meditation for February 19, 2013
Meditation: Matthew 6:7-15
1st Week of Lent
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. (Matthew 6:10)


			
				The Word Among Us said:
			
		

> When you were young, did you enjoy hearing firsthand accounts of where your parents or grandparents grew up? Didn’t it feel as if you could picture their homes because of the vivid way they described their younger years? Well, Jesus also had a firsthand account of the place where he came from—heaven.
> 
> When Jesus spoke about heaven, he wasn’t talking about a distant reality but a real place that is his home. He was talking about a reality that was as near to him as our world is to us. Jesus knew heaven as a place free from pain, weeping, and death (Revelation 21:4) He knew it as a place of everlasting joy and peace. He often spoke of the rewards stored in heaven for the righteous (Matthew 5:12; 6:20; 19:21). The very reason he became man was to testify to the reality of heaven and to make a way for everyone to join him there.
> 
> ...


Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19


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## PinkPebbles (Feb 19, 2013)

AtlantaJJ said:


> Reading & Meditation for February 18, 2013
> Meditation: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
> 1st Week of Lent
> 
> ...


 
AtlantaJJ this devotional ministered to me and it coincides with what God has been speaking to my heart.

Too many of us are so 'religious' that we cannot discern the cries of those whom God has put in our path. We cannot discern their cry for help, deliverance, forgiveness, healing, prayer, salvation, etc. We are too busy looking on the outward appearance and cannot discern what's really important unto the Lord.

So many of us are like the Pharisees that were angry at Jesus because he healed a man on the Sabbath day. The Pharisees were so religious that they could not discern that Jesus was giving life and hope to someone in need. As well as, calling sinners to repentance. 

Jesus said to them "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath day, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?"

Mark 3:1-6


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 19, 2013)

PinkPebbles said:


> AtlantaJJ this devotional ministered to me and it coincides with what God has been speaking to my heart.
> 
> Too many of us are so 'religious' that we cannot discern the cries of those whom God has put in our path. We cannot discern their cry for help, deliverance, forgiveness, healing, prayer, salvation, etc. We are too busy looking on the outward appearance and cannot discern what's really important unto the Lord.
> 
> ...


Hillsong United's song "Hosanna" has two lyrics that have been really touching my spirit when I listen to that song:  "open up my eyes to the things unseen" and "break my heart for what breaks Yours". I am really coming to understand what I am praying for when I sing those lyrics.


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 20, 2013)

Reading & Meditation for February 20, 2013
Meditation: Luke 11:29-32
1st Week of Lent
No sign will be given … except the sign of Jonah. (Luke 11:29)


			
				The Word Amoung Us said:
			
		

> Public figures tend to speak candidly in smaller, private gatherings of firm supporters. But when they are in front of larger groups, they paint with broader brushstrokes and use crowd-pleasing language. Not so with Jesus! Upon seeing a crowd swelling, he decided to challenge his audience. They were looking for a supernatural sign, but he invited them to repentance and conversion instead.
> 
> Clearly, Jesus was very generous with miracles. Over the course of his public ministry, he healed countless people, drove out demons, even brought the dead back to life. But he didn’t perform these wonders to satisfy people’s  curiosity. He did it to reveal his Father’s love and power—and he did it in response to their faith. In today’s Gospel, however, Jesus could tell that the people in this crowd were in greater need of having their hearts opened, not in witnessing yet another marvel.
> 
> ...


Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 21, 2013)

Reading & Meditation for February 21, 2013
Meditation: Matthew 7:7-12
Ask … seek … knock. (Matthew 7:7)


			
				The Word Among Us said:
			
		

> Christopher Columbus. Ferdinand Magellan. Vasco Da Gama. These men are considered some of history’s greatest explorers. But what enabled them to cross vast oceans at great risk just to reach their goal? Mostly it was
> their determination to succeed no matter what. It also took a lot of trust. They had to trust in their ships, in their navigational instruments and charts, and ultimately, in God.
> 
> This is the kind of attitude that Jesus is asking us to have in prayer. For there’s a certain level of tenacity implied in the advice he gives us today: ask, seek, and knock. Jesus is telling us that not only should we request things of God, we should actively seek him out for these things. In fact, he invites us to knock right on his front door! He tells us to be persistent as well. We can’t give up just because we don’t see tangible results right away. We need to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking.
> ...


Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 22, 2013)

Reading & Meditation for February 22, 2013
Meditation: Matthew 16:13-19

You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16)



			
				The Word Amoung Us said:
			
		

> Sometimes a little inside information makes a big difference. Say you give your neighbor a friendly hello but get a frown in return. You’re miffed. Until you learn that the neighbor’s child has fallen critically ill. Doesn’t that change everything? Your heart swells with compassion, and you want to reach out—with prayer, encouragement, practical help … something! One piece of information has opened your eyes to a reality you hadn’t been able to see.
> 
> Something similar happened to Peter at Caesarea Philippi. And it was an awesome piece of inside information: Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God”! What’s more, the source of that information was even more awesome: it did not come from “flesh and blood” but from the Father Himself (16:17).
> 
> ...


1 Peter 5:1-4; Psalm 23:1-6


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## AtlantaJJ (Feb 26, 2013)

Reading & Meditation for February 26, 2013
Meditation: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20

2nd Week of Lent
Learn to do good. Make justice your aim. (Isaiah 1:17)


> In just a few words, the prophet Isaiah urged the Israelites to make a vital decision: “Wash yourselves clean! Cease doing evil!” Moments like this are a great grace, moments when we clearly see what we have done wrong and choose to deal with it. If I’ve stolen money, I should make restitution. If I’ve been swearing, I should resolve to stop. Whatever the situation, I need to do something. I may need to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, seek forgiveness from someone I have hurt, or avoid a particular place or thing that endangers me.
> 
> But let’s be clear. Not all change occurs in dramatic moments. Most of the time, our goal is to “aim at” justice and “learn to do good” one step at a time. Perhaps God is inviting you to grow in kindness. There are many ways you can do this. You can take time to pray for a person who irritates you and then look for ways to compliment him or her. You can pause before you begin each new chore or activity and ask God to show you one small way that you can be helpful there.
> 
> ...


Psalm 50:8-9, 16-17, 21, 23; Matthew 23:1-12


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