Q: Is it wrong to celebrate LENT?

I go to a Catholic school where they celebrate Lent. Is it wrong to celebrate with them and give up things, not eat meat on Fridays, fast on certain days, etc.?

Lent is not a biblical word found in the bible but a spiritual practice started by early Christians which continues today. It is part of the “Liturgical Year” or “Christian Calendar”, where Catholics and liturgical Protestant denominations (i.e. Anglican, Lutheran, etc) still follow. On Ash Wednesday, the early Christians would start the Lenten season by marking themselves with ashes as a sign of their mortality, observing other holy days during 40 day period, leading up to Easter for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

In the Roman Catholic Church, they continue the practice of Lent by going through a season of fasting, abstinence or “giving up” something during that period. In the Protestant Tradition, some also continue this practice but do not practice because of religious obligation.

In response to your question, rather than thinking of Lent as a season for giving up something, I’d prefer to think of it as a time of TAKING ON something. Since our “Free” protestant churches do not want to restrict ourselves to tradition but rather cling to the scripture for direction, I still think the practice of Lent is beneficial in “giving up” something, but concurrently and more importantly, to focus on the Word and prayer (our reflection, repentance, and renewal in Christ during a time of fasting from whatnot). That being said, this practice should not be a legalistic obligation of fasting from meat or etc (it should be up to your discretion, not mandatory), but it can be a very helpful supplement in our Christian walk, especially during time leading up to Good Friday/Easter.

Here is a helpful resource from the late worship theologian, Dr. Robert Webber:

Lent: Inquiry and Instruction

By Robert E. Webber

Question: What is the meaning of the word Lent?

Answer: It has no religious meaning like Advent or Pentecost. It comes from an Anglo-Saxon word, Lencten, meaning "spring."

Question: Why do we observe Lent?

Answer: The purpose of Lent is to provide a time for us to enter into the suffering of Jesus and to go with Him to the tomb.

Question: How can we do this?

Answer: The experience of the people of God who have gone before us is that we best identify with Jesus by adopting a discipline of prayer, fasting, almsgiving.

Question: How should we pray?

Answer: Our prayer may be a spiritual meditation on Jesus Christ--His teaching, His suffering, His death on our behalf.

Question: Why should we fast?

Answer: Fasting is an aid to prayer. Years ago Augustine wrote, "When a man imposes on himself the burden of fasting, he shows that he really wants what he is asking for." Christians fast in order to pray more intently.

Question: What is the purpose of almsgiving (giving money)?

Answer: We give alms (coins/money) to the poor and needy because it is a specific expression of the brotherly love produced by prayer. The closer we are to Jesus, the more we care for our neighbor.

[Answered by Pastor Shu-Ling, Worship Ministry]

Source: Robert Webber, The Family Book of Prayer (Hendrickson, 1996).

http://zoewineskinsdevotional.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-is-lent-and-why-do-we-do-it.html