Guide to Common Lenten Devotions and Customs
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ABOUT LENT. Lent is an English word derived from an Old English word, lencten, which referred to the lengthening of days in springtime. The liturgical season of Lent developed in the early Christian communities as a period of final preparation for catechumens preparing to be baptized at the Easter Vigil; baptized Christians accompanied the catechumens in this process of discernment and enlightenment as a sign of support and in preparation for renewing their own baptismal promises at Easter. During the Middle Ages, the focus on celebrating or renewing baptismal promises was overshadowed by an emphasis on personal penance and sacrifice. It was recovered by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, which restored the Catechumenate (now called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) and shifted the focus of Lent to include conversion and penance. Today, Lenten practice combines prayer, fasting and almsgiving with reconciliation and study or personal renewal for a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday.
Learn More
> Pope's 2024 Lenten Message
> FAQ About Lent
> Nine Things You Need to Know About Lent
> A Short History of Lent
> Ten Things to Remember For Lent
> A Busy Person’s Guide to Lent
> A Convert's Guide to Lent
> What Is Lent? (video)
> Three Essentials of Lent (graphic)
> Lent--Baptism and Penance• • •
ALMSGIVING. Almsgiving is a common practice in various religious traditions and is one of three traditional lenten practices recommended for Christians. The habit of providing alms to those in need is rooted in the experience of God's mercy and a desire to imitate God's generosity. In the Old Testament, almsgiving was required by Hebrew law as a response to the "cry of the poor"--particularly, orphans, widowers, and foreigners who had no legal or social standing in Jewish society. In the New Testament, Jesus recommended voluntary and spontaneous almsgiving, fasting and prayer as the basis of spiritual life. The importance of almsgiving is obvious in Matthew's account of the final judgment, where concrete assistance to those in need is the ultimate criteria of Christian discipleship: "Whatever you did for the least among you, you did for me," Jesus says (cf. Matthew 25). The parable of the vineyard owner who pays every worker a fair day's wage, regardless of how long they worked, is a jarring example of providing for the basic needs of every person (cf. Matthew 20). In the Modern Catholic Encyclopedia, Michael Glazier points out that almsgiving differs from common philanthropy. "It is not a substitute or a blueprint to solve the perennial problem of justice," he writes, but "concerned giving, transformed by grace, for the kingdom of God." During Lent, Catholics are encouraged to share what they save from fasting and other penitential practices with those in need through programs such as Catholic Relief Services' "Operation Rice Bowl" or contributions to local charities which aid those in need.
"Putting the paschal mystery at the centre of our lives means feeling compassion towards the wounds of the crucified Christ present in the many innocent victims of wars, in attacks on life, ... and various forms of violence," Pope Francis wrote in his Lenten message for 2020. "Today...there is a need to appeal to men and women of good will to share, by almsgiving, their goods with those most in need, as a means of personally participating in the building of a better world. Charitable giving makes us more human, whereas hoarding risks making us less human, imprisoned by our own selfishness."
Learn More
> U.S. bishops' Statement on Abstinence and Penance
> Penitiential Practices for Today's Catholic
> The Challenge of Almsgiving
> Almsgiving Cultivates a Generous Heart
> Almsgiving--Lent's Over-looked Discipline
> Don't Forget Food for the Poor
> Operation Rice Bowl• • •
ASHES/ASH WEDNESDAY. The use of ashes as a sign of sacrifice and repentance is an ancient custom in the Jewish tradition, and was common among other religious traditions in the ancient world where burning sacrifices to the diety was a sign of loyalty and obedience.. In the early Christian community, ashes were used as a sign of admission to the Order of Penitents, the original form of what later became the Sacrament of Penance. Individuals who had betrayed or denied their faith during the persecutions (and later those guilty of committing various capital crimes) were required to wear sackcloth and cover themselves in ashes to symbolize their repentance and desire for reconciliation with the Christian community. During the Middle Ages, when the purpose of Lent became more penitential, the use of ashes became more widespread among the faithful as a sign of repentance for personal private sins.
The first evidence for the celebration of Ash Wednesday occurs in the middle of the 10th Century; the custom was extended to the universal church by Pope Urban II near the end of the 11th Century. Although it is not a holy day of obligation, many practicing and non-practicing Catholics today arrive at church on Ash Wednesday to receive a cross of ashes on their foreheads and be reminded "Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return" (cf. Genesis 3.19) or "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" (cf. Mark 1.15). During the recent Covid pandemic the Vatican instructed local churches to sprinkle ashes on a person’s head, which had been the usual custom in Italy and other parts of the world, instead of making the sign of the cross on their forehead.
"The ashes we receive on our foreheads should affect the thoughts passing through our minds,” Pope Francis said in a homily for Ash Wednesday in 2020. "They remind us that, as God’s children, we cannot spend our lives chasing after dust.... If I live only to earn money, to have a good time, to gain a bit of prestige or a promotion in my work, I am living for dust,” he added. “That is not why we have been put in this world. We are worth so much more. We live for so much more, for we are meant to make God’s dream a reality and to love.”
Learn More
> Nine Things to Know and Share About Ash Wednesday
> Why We Love Our Ashes
> Wearing Our Faith on Our Foreheads
> How to Explain Ash Wednesday to Non-Catholics
> Ashes Are a Symbol; the Goal Is Transformation• • •
FASTING and ABSTINENCE. Fasting from all food except water and abstaining from certain types of food are common in many religious traditions where the habit serves to connect the body and its physical needs with less tangible values, such as self-denial, repentance, and solidarity with the poor. In the Old Testament, total fasting from morning until evening was a common component of preparation for war, as a sign of mourning, in reaction to disaster, as a sign of penance, and in supplication for divine assistance. It became a standard component of the Jewish celebration of the weekly Sabbath. In the New Testament, we are told that Jesus fasted for 40 days before beginning his public ministry (cf. Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4), although later in his ministry Jesus defended his disciples for not fasting while he was present among them (cf. Luke 5).
In the early Christian community, fasting was a voluntary practice which was part of the community's preparation for major feast days and a common component of spiritual discipline. By the 5th Century, fasting was required and regulated by church law which restricted consumption to one meal a day and required abstaining from flesh meat, fish, alchohol, eggs and milk. In the 14th Century, church law permitted a second, light meal and omitted the prohibition of fish and dairy products. Until the reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, Catholics were required to abstain from flesh meat and gravies produced from flesh meat on Fridays throughout the year; during Lent Catholics were restricted to one main meal and two other meatless meals each day except on Sunday. Today, Catholics age 14 and older are generally required to abstain from flesh meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays in Lent; Catholics age 15 through 59 are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Local bishops may suspend the rules of fasting and abstinence on special occasions during Lent, like the feast of St. Patrick.
Fasting, Pope Francis has said, "allows us to experience what the destitute and the starving have to endure [and] expresses our own spiritual hunger and thirst for God.... It makes us more attentive to God and [to] our neighbor." Fasting makes sense, the pope says, if it questions our security and leads to some benefit for others. "Fasting helps us to attune our hearts to the essential and to sharing. It is a sign of awareness and responsibility in the face of injustice...and it is a sign of the trust we place in God and in his providence."
Learn More
> Why Catholics Fast
> Ten Reasons to Fast This Lent
> Seven Things You Never Knew About Fasting
> Guidelines for Fasting and Abstinence for Catholics
> U.S. bishops' Statement on Abstinence and Penance
> Reflection on Lenten Fasting
> Fasting As an Act of Love
> Fasting in the Old Testament
> Ten Simple Meals for Friday in Lent
> Simple Meatless Meals from Around the World
> What Do Catholics Mean By Fasting?• • •
MARDI GRAS. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is called "Fat Tuesday" in common English, "Mardi Gras" in French, or "Shrove Tuesday" in Old English. The various names for the day all derive from the word carnival, which was the name commonly given to the period in the Christian year between Christmas and Lent.
The city of Rome began carnival celebrations in the 10th century. The week-long celebration included games, tournaments and street celebrations. The final day of this unofficial season, the Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday, became a special day of celebration in many Christian European cultures after Pope Gregory XIII placed it on the Gregorian calendar in 1582 and designated the three preceeding Sundays (Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima Sundays) as a time to prepare for Lent. The activities of Fat Tuesday express the desire for one last celebration before the self-denial associated with the Lenten season. Many Mardi Gras customs derive from the need to use up perishable foods, to wear festive clothing, to sing, parade and party--all of which were traditionally forbidden during Lent. These pre-Lenten celebrations often included special foods, such as collops and pancakes in England, cannoli in Italy, krapfen in Austria, capirotada in Spain and Mexico, pączki in Poland, gumbo and jambalaya in New Orleans. The traditional colors of Mardi Gras--purple, green and gold--signify the Christian virtues of justice, faith and power. Today, the most famous Mardi Gras celebrations take place in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro, but there are similar celebrations in Germany ("Karneval"), Italy ("Martedi Grasso"), the Czech Republic ("Masopust"), Sweden ("Fettisdagen"), Trinidad ("J'Ouvert"), and Mexico ("Martes de Carnaval").
Learn More
> The Catholic Roots of Mardi Gras
> Lent's Pre-Season Warm-up
> Septuagesima: The Time that Land Forgot• • •
PALMS/PALM SUNDAY. The use of palm branches as a symbol of victory, peace, and eternal life originated in the Near East where palm trees and olive trees are a common form of vegetation. They were often used to celebrate the visit of important officials or the arrival of victorious military leaders. John’s Gospel reports that excited crowds “took palm branches and went out to meet him” as Jesus arrived in Jerusalem in the days before his arrest, conviction and death (cf. John 12). For that reason, in Christian tradition palms became a symbol of Christ's victory over death and sin, and were often used in association with the martyrs and early saints. A Palm Sunday procession with palms or olive branches apparently originated in the Holy Land, where the faithful re-enacted the Lord's journey from Bethany to Jerusalem. Pilgrims from other parts of Europe witnessed this custom and the practice spread to local churches throughout the western or Roman church. The first references to a Palm Sunday procession as part of the Roman liturgy appear in French Sacramentaries from the ninth century. Today, at least an abbreviated procession is part of the Palm Sunday liturgy in Catholic churches around the world. Over the years, palm branches became a popular sacramental, displayed behind crucifixes or holy pictures in homes and burned in times of impending danger. As Lent approached, these palms were gathered together and burned to create the ashes for Ash Wednesday.
Learn More
> The Jewish Roots of Palm Sunday
> Nine Things You Need to Know About Palm Sunday
> Palm Sunday in Jerusalem
> Where Do Palms for Palm Sunday Come From?• • •
THE PASCHAL TRIDUUM. Lent comes to an end on the evening of Holy Thursday. The Mass of the Lord's Supper celebrated on Holy Thursday evening begins the Sacred Triduum, the most solemn time in the liturgical year. The Latin word triduum means "a three-day period;" it refers collectively to Friday (which in the Hebrew way of reckoning time begins at sundown on Thursday evening), Saturday and Sunday. The liturgical rituals of the Triduum include the washing of feet on Holy Thursday, the veneration of the cross and solemn proclamation of the Passion on Good Friday, and the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion at the Easter Vigil. Taken together, the events of the Triduum represent one great liturgical commemoration of the central mystery of the Christian faith, the Paschal Mystery -- what St. Augustine, the great fifth-century bishop of North Africa, first referred to as the “triduum of Christ crucified, buried and risen”. Shortly after Augustine, the Church at Rome began to celebrate the institution of the Eucharist on the Thursday evening before Good Friday and this celebration was included in "The Three Days." The liturgical rituals of the Triduum invite us all to renew our Baptismal promise to be disciples of Jesus Christ, who by his life, death and resurrection redeemed the world.
Learn More
> Read Pope Francis's catechesis on the Triduum
> Six Things to Know About the Triduum
> FAQ about the Triduum
> Guide to the Paschal Triduum
> How to Observe the Triduum Well• • •
PRAYER. Prayer is one of the three principal components of Lenten observance, along with fasting and abstinence. In the early Christian community, all three were part of a catechumen's final preparation for baptism at the Easter Vigil. For a person preparing to be baptized--and for baptized persons preparing to renew their baptism promises at Easter--prayer provides an opportunity to reflect on the commitment which we make in baptism to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. In particular, prayer helps us call to mind the ways in which we are tempted, as Jesus was, to choose the wrong priorities, to place our own welfare above that of others, and to doubt God's faithfulness or mercy. Lent is a good time to examine our personal prayer life and our participation in the prayer life of the faith community around us. It's a good time to review not just how much we pray, but how we pray. The key to a healthy prayer life is to choose the form of prayer which best enables us to engage in a conversation with God -- not just to talk to God, but to listen to God in the various ways we might perceive God's voice in the people and events of our daily lives. For some, this might mean attending Mass more often, spending an hour before the Holy Eucharist, learning to practice lectio divina (holy reading) or a daily examen, or joining a small prayer group. Lent is a good time to explore different types of prayer in an effort to find one that fits the rhythm of our lives and the nature of our spiritual personality.
"Even more than a duty, prayer is an expression of our need to respond to God’s love which always precedes and sustains us," Pope Francis said in his Lenten Message for 2020. "Christians pray in the knowledge that, although unworthy, we are still loved. Prayer can take any number of different forms, but what truly matters in God’s eyes is that it penetrates deep within us and chips away at our hardness of heart, in order to convert us ever more fully to God and to his will."
Learn More
> Three traditional forms of prayer
> How to Hear God's Voice
> Common Concerns About Prayer
> Simple Listening Prayer
> Stages in Spiritual Growth and Prayer
> From Ashes to Glory Weekly Examen
> 30-Day Ignatian Prayer Adventure
> Local Opportunities for Public Prayer• • •
RECONCILIATION (Confession). Although many Catholics don't celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation as frequently as they did in the past, many American Catholics make it a point to celebrate the Sacrament at least twice a year -- during the seasons of Lent and Advent. In addition to regularly scheduled times for individual confession, most parishes schedule Communal Penance services during Lent. These communal celebrations include the opportunity for private, individual confession for individuals who feel the need or desire for absolution. Celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent helps us prepare both spiritually and practically for the renewal of our Baptism promises and the celebration of Christ's resurrection at Easter; it helps us acknowledge unhealthy, hurtful and sinful attitudes or habits which prevent us from being faithful to our Baptism promises and our mission as disciples of Jesus Christ. Reconciliation also helps us become, as Pope Francis has written, "witnesses to hope and true joy" which is rooted in the saving life, death and resurrection of Jesus. "The profound sense of emptiness felt by so many people can be overcome by the hope we bear in our hearts and by the joy that it gives," the Pope wrote. "We need to acknowledge" -- and to exhibit -- "the joy that rises up in a heart touched by mercy."
“We can receive God’s forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance, because there the fire of God’s love consumes the ashes of our sin," Pope Francis declared in his homily for Ash Wednesday. "The embrace of the Father in confession renews us from inside and purifies our heart. May we allow ourselves to be reconciled, in order to live as beloved children.... Let us allow ourselves to be loved, so that we can give love in return. Let us allow ourselves to stand up and walk towards Easter. Then we will experience the joy of discovering how God raises us up from our ashes."
Learn More:
> Lent and the Sacrament of Reconciliation
> How Catholics Understand and Use Confession
> Illustrated Guide to Confession
> Rediscovering the Sacrament of Penance
> Examinations of Conscience
> Schedule of Lenten Communal Penance Services in Waterloo and Nearby Parishes• • •
SCRUTINIES. The Scrutinies are rites which take place during Mass on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent. They originated in the early Christian communities during a time of final preparation and purification for catechumens (now called the Elect) who were preparing to be baptized at the Easter Vigil; they were restored in recent years by the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which incorporated the Scrutinies into the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. According to the Rite, "The scrutinies are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect" and "to bring out, then strengthen, all that is upright, strong, and good." In this way, they serve "to complete the conversion of the Elect and deepen their resolve to hold fast to Christ." The Scrutinies occur on those Sundays in Lent when the community hears three familiar Lenten gospels: the Samaritan woman at the well, the cure of the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus. During the Scrutinies, the entire congregation, which is itself preparing to renew their baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil, prays for the newcomers who are preparing to join the church. The spirit and purpose of the Scrutinies is summarized in the concluding prayer for the third week: "Father of Life, free these Elect from the death-dealing power of the spirit of evil so that they may bear witness to their new life in the risen Christ.... Fill them with faith, hope and charity, that they may live with you always in the glory of your resurrection." The Lenten Scrutinies invite all of us to open ourselves to a deeper examination of our lives and to pray for release from the demons that prevent us from being more faithful to our Baptismal promise to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Learn More
> Scrutiny Sunday--Jesus Thirsts for Us
> History of the Scrutinies
> A Closer Look at the Scrutinies
> An Expression of How Seriously We Take the Faith
> Exorcism Is an Ordinary Part of Christian Life
> Scrutiny Home Prayers• • •
Learn More
SOUP SUPPERS and FISH FRYS. Lenten soup suppers are common among Catholic and other Christian churches, although exactly when and where they originated is not known. They may simply be an adaptation of church suppers common among European communities throughout the year. The intention of a Lenten soup supper, which replaces a regular meal, is twofold: it is an expression of self-denial and mutual support by the local faith community, and an expression of its solidarity with the poor who have little or nothing to eat. Like any form of fasting, it reminds us that many possess and consume far more than they actually need, while others go without basic necessities, the victims of personal greed and unjust social and economic conditions.
Fish frys are also common Lenten customs, particularly in Catholic communities, where Catholics are required to abstain from meat on the Fridays in Lent. Abstinence, like fasting, is an expression of self-denial as well as an expression of solidarity with those who do not have the luxury of voluntarily abstaining from meat or other food. During the time of a pandemic, communal gatherings such as soup suppers and parish fish fries may be curtailed, but families can still participate in the spirit of these events with simple meals or fish in their homes.
> Fast and Feast for Lent
> Fasting to Feast
> An Ignatian Diet for Lent
> 4 Tips for Eating More Ethically
> Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays
> Simple Lenten Recipies from Around the World• • •
WAY OF THE CROSS. The Way of the Cross (also called “Stations of the Cross”) is a common devotional practice performed during the Lenten season. It originated among early Christians who found spiritual value in re-tracing Jesus’ path along the via dolorosa (the “way of sorrow”) from Pilate’s court to the site of the crucifixion on Calvary. When participation in this devotion became impractical , too dangerous or too expensive for most, Christians began constructing "stations" inside or outside local parish churches, chapels and shrines. Today the traditional devotion consists of fourteen “stations,” represented by paintings, sculptures or plaques depicting the events of Christ’s Passion starting with the trial before Pilate and concluding with the burial; in many locations local custom adds a fifteenth station, depicting the Lord's resurrection. Most parishes conduct the Stations of the Cross on a regular basis during Lent. During these services, participants, or a representative of the community, pass from one station to the next, reciting prayers and meditating on the saving events of Jesus’ passion and death. In Rome, the tradition of praying the Stations of the Cross publicly in the Colosseum on Good Friday dates back to the Holy Year of 1750; the custom was revived by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and has been continued by his successors.VIA CRUCIS. In Hispanic culture, the Way of the Cross is called the Via Crucis. In the western hemisphere, the traditional Via Crucis dates back to colonial times, when Spanish and Portuguese missionaries introduced the Way of the Cross to the Americas. The emphasis on the suffering and death of Jesus in Spanish devotional theology, combined with the social and political condition of the new converts, made the annual Via Crucis a particularly evocative and powerful spiritual experience. Today the devotion is replicated in Latino Catholic communities throughout the hemisphere, and the entire local faith community is often involved in re-enacting the Lord's passion on Good Friday.
Learn More:
> History of the Way of the Cross
> Beginners Guide to the Stations of the Cross> Virtual Stations of the Cross
> Stations of the Cross
> Eight Different Ways to Pray the Stations of the Cross
> Reflections on the Stations of the Cross
> Follow in Christ's Footsteps
> My Life and the 14 Stations
> Meditations for the Via Crucis in the Colosseum
> Via Crucis on U.S. Streets• • •
VENERATION OF THE CROSS. Veneration of the cross originated with the recovery of the cross on which Jesus died during excavations for the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem in the early fourth century. The sacred relic, which according to legend was discovered by St. Helena, was preserved and portions of the relic were taken to Constantinople and Rome. The relic in Jerusalem was venerated annually on September 14, the date when the Basilica was dedicated in 335, and sometime later during Good Friday services. The veneration of the cross on Good Friday was observed in Rome before the end of the seventh century and gradually spread throughout the western church. In the early Middle Ages, images of the cross portrayed a living Jesus, usually dressed in triumphant robes, but by the late 11th century the popularity of penitential piety shifted the focus to Jesus's passion and death, rather than his resurrection.
Today, in the western or Roman Catholic church, veneration of the cross takes place during the solemn liturgical service of Good Friday. With the words, "This is the wood of the cross on which hung the Savior of the world," the celebrant invites the congregation to approach a crucifix and perform a simple sign of reverence (genuflecting, touching, or kissing the cross). This is a sign of reverence, and is distinquished from worship. As the Council of Trent reminded Catholics: "Images are not to be worshipped. ...[T]he honor which is shown to them is referred to [what] they represent, so that through the images which we kiss, and before which we kneel, we may adore Christ, and venerate the saints, whose resemblances they bear" (Session XXV).
"Looking at Jesus in his passion, we see, as in a mirror, also the suffering of all humanity," Pope Francis has said, "and find the divine answer to the mystery of evil, of suffering, of death."
Learn More
> Pope Francis' catechesis on the cross
> History of Adoration of the /Cross
> History and Legends Surround the True Cross
> Relics of the True Cross
> Were You There?
> Lip Service--the Liturgy of Good Friday
Related Links
> Find out more about the customs of Lent
> Fr. Robert Barron’s discussion of the Lenten practices
> Discover the signs and symbols of Easter
> Guide to Holy Week Services
> Schedule of Holy Week and Easter services in the Waterloo parishes
> Schedule of Communal Penance services
[Last Update: 02.15.23]