Lent

March 5, 2000

Source: The Denver Post

On March 5, 2000, The Denver Post published an article on the Christian season of Lent, which is the introspective, somber 40-day period before Easter that emphasizes penance. Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 8th, for Roman Catholics (Orthodox Christians follow a different calendar, starting Lent on March 13th.) in a ceremony where ashes are placed on the forehead to symbolize sinfulness and the need for penance. Sister Moira Debono, director of the office of liturgy for the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver, stated: "Lent is that time of turning back to God, recognizing that there needs to be a purification of our lives...Lent would be considered a period of intense prayer, fasting and charitable works, almsgiving. The person really puts into practice loving one's neighbor in a concrete way." Daniel E. Pilarczyk, a past president of the National Board of Catholic Bishops, writes on AmericanCatholic.org: "In Lent, the church calls us to a change of mind and heart, altering one's mindset toward whole new ways of thinking and acting...This involves taking a look at where we are and trying to see where we ought to be."