Christian Lent Begins Wednesday

February 23, 2023236 views0

Christian Lent Begins Wednesday

2023-02-23T10:30:24+01:00

By Church News

As the Christian lent begins on February 22 with the traditional Ash Wednesday, the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West, Rt Rev Olusola Odedeji, said that the period will be used for intensive prayers and Bible study.The announcement is contained on the Twitter page of the diocese of Lagos of the Anglican Communion. It is indicated that there will be physical meetings from 6 pm to 7 pm at every parish of the church every day excluding Sunday.Lent, marks the beginning of the 40-day fast usually observed among Catholics, Anglicans, and other protestant churches. The fast will end on April 8.Bishop Odedeji who is also the supervising bishop of the Lagos Diocese will oversee the 40-day event in both the diocese of Lagos and the Diocese of Lagos West of the Church.Each day will be marked by prayers and Bible exposition. The sessions will be broadcasted on social media handles, radio, and television stations.Many other orthodox churches will follow in that direction. Most Pentecostals do not participate in the 40-day event. But in the last 20 years or so, many Pentecostal churches in Nigeria have devised their own ritualistic fasting.The major Pentecostal denominations in Nigeria come up with different days of fasting ranging from three to 100 days at the beginning of the year.The Redeemed Christian Church of God for instance is currently observing a 50-day fast while the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) observed a 21-day fast at the beginning of the year. The church also holds periodic fasting throughout the year as it is being led.The Mountain of Fire and Miracles also observes long days of fasting along with several other denominations within the Pentecostal milieu. Such periods of fasting are often dedicated to making requests and supplications before God.In the language of the Church, the 40 days of lent has historically been known by the Latin term Quadragesima—literally, 40. Lent is derived from an Old English word that means “lengthen.”.The tradition started about 300 years AD and has since spread among many Christian denominations. The choice of 40 days is linked to the number of days Jesus spent fasting before he was tempted by the devil as recorded in the Bible.ALSO READ: Pope Francis Encourages Filmmakers at the Vatican