Heading into Easter’s homestretch

The Lenten season, also known as Lent, begins the day after Mardi Gras, on Ash Wednesday. This year Ash Wednesday was on February 22, but it can occur anytime from February 4 to March 10. It all depends on the vernal equinox, which determines when Easter will be.

Lent is the 40 days before Easter, excluding Sundays, so in reality Lent is actually 46 days long. During Lent, we remember Jesus Christ and his teaching, especially the final days of his life when he was challenged by the religious leaders who believed him to be blasphemous. The Bible tells us that Jesus prayed and fasted for 40 days before he died on the cross, so Lent is a time when many Christians give up something, or sacrifice some pleasure, to honor the fact that Jesus sacrificed his life for us.

We are now almost on the homestretch of Easter Sunday, April 9. This Sunday is Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week, the week leading up to and including the commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and then ending with Easter, the day we celebrate his resurrection.