Lent

What is Lent?

Lent refers to the forty days before Easter Sunday. It is a period in the Christian Church which is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ's fasting in the wilderness. The period starts on the Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday.
During Lent Christians commemorate two events in the Christian faith:

• It commemorates the Israelites' forty years of wandering through the desert
• The temptation of Christ. After being baptized, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the desert. During this time, the devil appeared to Jesus and tempted him. Jesus having refused each temptation, the devil departed and angels came and brought nourishment to Jesus.