Lent: Season of Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving

        

        Lenten season is celebrated to recall Christ’s passion, his suffering, death and resurrection. It is the period of 6 weeks or 40 days excluding Sundays in the Christian calendar. It is a time of fasting, reflection and preparation before the celebration of the Easter. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and begins with Ash Wednesday, the day of penitence to clean the soul before the Lent season.

This year, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it makes the celebration of Lenten season different from our tradition. The Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the lent. Christians would usually go to church to attend the mass. The priest will give all the churchgoers a cross sign in the forehead made up with the ashes from Palm Sunday. The cross symbolizes of death and sorrow for sin, once it will be gone means our sins will also be cleansed. 

    Another tradition is called “Visita Iglesia”. It is a Roman Catholic Lenten tradition where we visit 7 different churches during the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. But because of the pandemic, we are being discouraged to get away from the city for our mutual protection and safety. Other than that, there are many Roman Catholic traditions will happen during the Lenten season, such as Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Black Saturday, and Easter Sunday. These traditions can also be done but in respect to the guidelines and protocols, they limit people to go inside the church to maintain social distancing and to avoid the spread of the virus.

This tradition is a very unique way to remember the one who sacrificed His life for us, to give thanks and to ask forgiveness. It is also a way to strengthen our faith and trust in Him. This pandemic will not stop us to remember and praise Him. Let us all give our trust to Him then He will not forsake us. 

References:

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