Click the link below the picture
.
This Wednesday marks the beginning of the penitential period of Lent: one of the most important, and most misunderstood, periods in the Christian religious calendar.
While many non-Christians participate in Christmas festivities, even if just vaguely related to the occasion — Lent remains unobserved even by many Christians.
Lent is the approximately monthlong period that leads up to Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ’s temptation by the devil in the wilderness, his subsequent crucifixion, and finally, on Easter Sunday, his resurrection.
It is a period of fasting, penitence, and prayer for Christians around the world. It is predominately observed by Catholics (and the Orthodox, albeit on a slightly different calendar), but Christians of all denominations can and do participate.
About a quarter of Americans observe Lent (including 61 percent of Catholics, and 20 percent of Protestants), according to a 2017 Lifeway poll. But at the same time, in some corners of the Internet, Lent has become secularized, reimagined as another opportunity for a kind of spiritual wellness “cleanse” (whether of food, drink, or social media habits), a second chance at kickstarting those neglected New Year’s resolutions.
Lent is, in other words, simultaneously sidelined by many ostensibly practicing Christians and appropriated by the secular world.
.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58683965/647003270.jpg.0.jpg)
.
.
Click the link below for the article:
.
__________________________________________
James' World 2 
Leave a comment