Lent

[Orthodox Christian]

Hello all, I gather that LDS do not practice Lent. How then do you prepare for the celebration of Easter?

[longview]

One common element is we watch the semi-annual world-wide general conference the first Sat/Sun of April.  There are plenty of talks about the Risen Christ.

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, Orthodox Christian said:

Hello all, I gather that LDS do not practice Lent. How then do you prepare for the celebration of Easter?

There isn't any church-wide way that we prepare for Easter.  It is left to the individual to prepare.  Some members do practice a form of Lent, others specialize their scripture study to include the themes of Christ, the Atonement, and the Resurrection for a few weeks before Easter.  Some do something different.

[Stargazer]

7 hours ago, Orthodox Christian said:

Hello all, I gather that LDS do not practice Lent. How then do you prepare for the celebration of Easter?

Everyone in his or her own way.

But I understand that originally, Lent was a commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, not a preparation for Easter. 

And here we come to a question of the scriptural foundation for Lent. St. Augustine asserted that not to fast during Lent was a sin. To which one might ask, where did Augustine find this particular sin? Where did anyone find Lent in the scriptures? And when and by what authority did it arise? I understand that it may have arisen as an observance at around the time of of the Council of Nicaea. But that nobody really knows.

I'm not denigrating it, you understand. I just see it as a tradition of men, just like celebrating Christmas. Or Easter, for that matter. There's no scriptural warrant for any of them. Or, for that matter, most of the rest of the traditional Christian celebrations in the various observance calendars. 

The only scriptural periodic observance that the Lord commanded in the New Testament is the sacrament of the Lord's Supper:

19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:19,20)

Though there is here no suggested timetable for administration of the eucharist. I gather that the weekly celebration of this was established at a very early period.

After Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses, with its various timely observances, there was only the one. At least to my understanding.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Stargazer

[Orthodox Christian]

Thank you Stargazer for your post, it has really made me look at Lent and revisit it's meaning, well for us anyway. Orthodox Great Lent is quite a bit more than giving up the odd thing here and there. 

Before Lent there is the Triidion which is a three week preparation for Lent. And of course Lent itself is a preparation for Pascha/Easter. We are led to simplify our lives and immerse ourselves in the "bright sadness" of repentence. Orthodox Lent begins on Clean Monday up until Holy Week which culminates in Pascha which is the celebration of Christ's Resurrection: the Feast of Feasts. We fast because of the examples in Scripture : Christ Himself of course but also Moses and Elijah and others. So fasting is well demonstrated in Scripture, especially when someone wishes to be closer to God. Christ seems to accept it as a given eg "When you fast", not "if" you fast. So we don't see fasting as a tradition of men, although the Lenten fast has evolved from one week (Holy Week) to those stated above because the Church recognises the monumental even of Christ's death and Resurrection - which is the culmination of Lent. There is also the element of taking up your cross and walking with Christ on His journey and suffering. The 40 day fast of Christ is an example that the Church emulates, and many events and parables etc leading on from that event are remembered during Lent, so I suppose if a forty day fast is good enough for Christ, then it's good enough for the Church, which is probably a gross understatement of the evolution of the Fast. The thought of approaching Pascha with no spiritual preparation is impossible for the faithful Orthodox. The Fast therefore should not be abstention from food alone, or legalistic,: something you do because you feel you ought.

To fast physically with no spiritual aspect to it then it's just a diet.

Lent has been described as:  a quest for humility which is the beginning of true repentence: the purpose of Lent is to return to God: an opportunity to develop true love for our neighbour and humility which is the fruit of repentence. Abstaining from food is an exercise in sobriety, self control andove for others demonstrated by works of mercy. Lent calls for us to love our neighbour in both theory and practice often by extra giving of our means acquired by self denial. 

Lent is a fast from sin, "If you you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast", Matins, Cheesfare, Wednesday. The Fast then is a means to improving our spiritual lives and overcoming sin for which there are many more Lenten services, that encourage repentence, humility and prayer. We are not to fast for the sake of it. If our fasting isn't making us better Christians; if it doesn't exceed physical abstinence, it's useless. 

"Let us observe a fast pleasing to the Lord. True fasting is to put away all evil, to control the tongue to forbear from anger, to abstain from slander, falsehood and perjury. If we renounce these things then our fasting is true and acceptable to God." Vespers, Clean Monday. Also read Isaiah 58:4-7. The emphasis here is on the spiritual effort in the Fast, which is in effect superior to our physical effort in that it demands the imitation of Christ in loving our neighbour. 

Spiritually, the humble penitant looks up to God in hope despite his sins, he has confidence in God's mercy and promise to forgive. True repentence looks forward, not back; upwards, not down. 

Lent has to be accompanied by love and forgiveness of those who have hurt us. Only when it is can it be called a truly Christian Lent and a fast which is pleasing to God, in fact love and forgiveness is the imitation of God, thus the meaning of our fast is spiritual and a means of restoring us into the life of God. 

Finally, the effort made in Lent isn't easily forgotten. On a personal level it leads to a heightened awareness of my neighbour, of myself in relation to the Lord, in Christ and Who He is and what He requires from me. Lent has a knock on effect in making me walk closer to God, its effects don't leave me, they may weaken over time, but it makes me resistant to becoming more worldly when it is over. In fact, though I slip, I strive to repent and return to Him who is the only lover of mankind. All the Lenten services are meant to bring Christ ever closer by remembering His sayings and actions. They contain immeasurable wisdom and teachings, they are the pearl of great price. 

"Lent is the rediscovery of that which is most essential in our lives. In this rediscovery we return to God and to the very meaning of life." Meditations for Great Lent and the Triodion. Archimandrite Vassiliis Papavasilliou. I have used this work as the basis for this reply. 

So, if Lent and Pascha are traditions of men, I think they demonstrate the Church's desire to celebrate in worship and jubilation that which God has done for us in Christ. 

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, Orthodox Christian said:

Thank you Stargazer for your post, it has really made me look at Lent and revisit it's meaning, well for us anyway. Orthodox Great Lent is quite a bit more than giving up the odd thing here and there. 

Before Lent there is the Triidion which is a three week preparation for Lent. And of course Lent itself is a preparation for Pascha/Easter. We are led to simplify our lives and immerse ourselves in the "bright sadness" of repentence. Orthodox Lent begins on Clean Monday up until Holy Week which culminates in Pascha which is the celebration of Christ's Resurrection: the Feast of Feasts. We fast because of the examples in Scripture : Christ Himself of course but also Moses and Elijah and others. So fasting is well demonstrated in Scripture, especially when someone wishes to be closer to God. Christ seems to accept it as a given eg "When you fast", not "if" you fast. So we don't see fasting as a tradition of men, although the Lenten fast has evolved from one week (Holy Week) to those stated above because the Church recognises the monumental even of Christ's death and Resurrection - which is the culmination of Lent. There is also the element of taking up your cross and walking with Christ on His journey and suffering. The 40 day fast of Christ is an example that the Church emulates, and many events and parables etc leading on from that event are remembered during Lent, so I suppose if a forty day fast is good enough for Christ, then it's good enough for the Church, which is probably a gross understatement of the evolution of the Fast. The thought of approaching Pascha with no spiritual preparation is impossible for the faithful Orthodox. The Fast therefore should not be abstention from food alone, or legalistic,: something you do because you feel you ought.

To fast physically with no spiritual aspect to it then it's just a diet.

Lent has been described as:  a quest for humility which is the beginning of true repentence: the purpose of Lent is to return to God: an opportunity to develop true love for our neighbour and humility which is the fruit of repentence. Abstaining from food is an exercise in sobriety, self control andove for others demonstrated by works of mercy. Lent calls for us to love our neighbour in both theory and practice often by extra giving of our means acquired by self denial. 

Lent is a fast from sin, "If you you persevere in sin, you will perform a useless fast", Matins, Cheesfare, Wednesday. The Fast then is a means to improving our spiritual lives and overcoming sin for which there are many more Lenten services, that encourage repentence, humility and prayer. We are not to fast for the sake of it. If our fasting isn't making us better Christians; if it doesn't exceed physical abstinence, it's useless. 

"Let us observe a fast pleasing to the Lord. True fasting is to put away all evil, to control the tongue to forbear from anger, to abstain from slander, falsehood and perjury. If we renounce these things then our fasting is true and acceptable to God." Vespers, Clean Monday. Also read Isaiah 58:4-7. The emphasis here is on the spiritual effort in the Fast, which is in effect superior to our physical effort in that it demands the imitation of Christ in loving our neighbour. 

Spiritually, the humble penitant looks up to God in hope despite his sins, he has confidence in God's mercy and promise to forgive. True repentence looks forward, not back; upwards, not down. 

Lent has to be accompanied by love and forgiveness of those who have hurt us. Only when it is can it be called a truly Christian Lent and a fast which is pleasing to God, in fact love and forgiveness is the imitation of God, thus the meaning of our fast is spiritual and a means of restoring us into the life of God. 

Finally, the effort made in Lent isn't easily forgotten. On a personal level it leads to a heightened awareness of my neighbour, of myself in relation to the Lord, in Christ and Who He is and what He requires from me. Lent has a knock on effect in making me walk closer to God, its effects don't leave me, they may weaken over time, but it makes me resistant to becoming more worldly when it is over. In fact, though I slip, I strive to repent and return to Him who is the only lover of mankind. All the Lenten services are meant to bring Christ ever closer by remembering His sayings and actions. They contain immeasurable wisdom and teachings, they are the pearl of great price. 

"Lent is the rediscovery of that which is most essential in our lives. In this rediscovery we return to God and to the very meaning of life." Meditations for Great Lent and the Triodion. Archimandrite Vassiliis Papavasilliou. I have used this work as the basis for this reply. 

So, if Lent and Pascha are traditions of men, I think they demonstrate the Church's desire to celebrate in worship and jubilation that which God has done for us in Christ. 

I appreciate your words on Lent.  Even if something is "manmade", I don't think that means it cannot have huge spiritual significance and serve an important purpose.  I think that the celebration of Christmas is a great example of that.

I agree with what you say about fasting.  For us, the first sunday of most months is designated as a fast day, where those who chose abstain from food and water for 24 hours (or whatever the time limit the person decides on).  We also give the money that we saved from not eating on that day as a "fast offering" to help care for the poor.  We are instructed to be much more generous than just give what we would have spent if possible though.

One of the principles on fasting is that it must include prayer and a spiritual component, or you're just dieting, as you said.