The Origins & Development of the Season of Lent

Michie · Feb 12, 2024

The current practice of the Roman Church reflects that Lent is both penitential and baptismal. The penitential themes are predominant during the first two weeks. The baptismal elements are emphasized in a three-week Lenten period. The final two weeks are dominated by preparation for the celebration of the passion.

At first glance, the season of Lent does not have one clear, predominant theme. For a catechumen, the purpose of the season of Lent is baptismal preparation. This season is a time when the whole Church joins in prayer as the catechumens go through RCIA preparations, and the season’s climax is their eventual initiation at the Easter vigil.

However, this theme is not always obviously present. For example, at a parish where no one is entering the Church, many of the catechetical elements of this season are omitted. In these situations, the season of Lent seems to merely be a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The season is a forty-day-long pre-paschal fast, climaxing at the lengthy Easter vigil with the anamnetic celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Which of these interpretations is correct? Is Lent fundamentally a catechetical preparation, or is it a paschal preparation? To answer these questions, we must examine the historical preparations for Easter and baptism.

The Early Church and Paschal and Baptismal Preparations

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