- What does the season of Lent represent?
- Why do we fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?
- Why do we abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent?
- What is the significance of receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday?
- Why must we give up something for Lent or, alternatively, add a behavior or practice to our routine during Lent?
1. Lent is the season of penance, of repentance, because "the Kingdom of God is near" (Mark 1:9-15).
2. Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, and is therefore a day of penance. Good Friday is the day of our Lord's death, also a day of great sorrow (sorrow over our sins) and repentance. Today, we are not obliged to fast or abstain the whole season of Lent.
3. Fridays during Lent - indeed every Friday of the whole year (Code of Canon Law, canon 1250) - are days of penance. Abstaining from meat ('the flesh') is showing the spiritual reality, that we forsake ourselves and our sinful flesh and desires. That's why fish is allowed - according to Genesis 1-2, man and land-dwelling animals were made of the earth (Genesis 1:24; 2:7), whilst fish were made out of the waters (Genesis 1:20), so fish have a "different flesh" than men and animals. In ages past, poultry was allowed, as the fowl also were created from the waters (Genesis 1:20), but under current Canon Law, it is counted among the land animals and therefore something to abstain from.
Historically, Fridays and Wednesdays were days of fasting. Fridays because our Lord died on that day, and Wednesdays because that's the day our Lord was betrayed by his friend. And also because the early Christians inherited the contemporary Jewish practice of fasting twice a week (although they did it on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Saturdays have also been a popular day of abstinence, being the day of our Lady, and (I suspect) so the Christians could one-up the Jews.
4. Ash (and sackcloth) is a common Old Testament sign of repentance and sorrow over sins. It also reminds us that we are indeed ash and dust and will turn to dust (Genesis 3:19). Therefore we need to repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15), so from ashes we can rise again on the last day.
5. Lent is all about preparation. Just as you would tidy up your house when having a guest over, we need to spiritually tidy up our selves and our house, because our guest is the greatest guest - the risen Lord.
