Friday 7 March 2014

The Lent Journal 3

If you were wondering, why, with such a background, I do celebrate and am celebrating the Lent, here is the answer. No, I didn't find the Light, I haven't gotten supernatural knowledge and my life hasn't changed.

I became a Lutheran. And right now, I attend an Episcopal Church. When I made these simple decisions that organize daily life and define routines, I had no way back. If not for any other reason, Lent is part of the Easter Season, which is part of the Liturgical Year of these Churches. Thus, if you are a church going person, you will be celebrating Lent at least during the worship services (or call it masses, if you like).

But since I left an evangelical denomination, in which my former pastor told me "Easter is more a Roman Catholic thing" to one in which Lent is part of life, I'd better gather some information. I've learnt some bits of it.

  • The word 'carnival' comes from the Latin "carne vale", which means "goodbye to meat" (sounds neat, I'm not sure of the veracity). The reason you would be saying your farewells, is that you wouldn't be eating meat during Lent; 
  • More important though, is that the first and foremost important celebration was the celebration of Easter, which has since the days of the flight from Egypt by the Israelites, existed; 
  • Then, the Early Church developed the tradition of Lent, a period which new Christians would prepare themselves, through fasting and prayer, to become part of the Church, through baptisms. This important day would happen annually on Easter Sunday, which for Christians is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  
  • In both traditions (Lutheran and Episcopal), fasting is encouraged, but optional. More on this, later. 
And so, I guess I had enough reasons to celebrate Lent in all ways. =) 

Here is the text for today. Luke 1: 26 - 38 (The Message): 

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:


Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.

She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, 

“Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.

He will be great,
    be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
    the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
    no end, ever, to his kingdom.”

Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”

The angel answered,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
    the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
    will be called Holy, Son of God.

“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”

And Mary said,

Yes, I see it all now:
    I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.
Let it be with me
    just as you say.

Then the angel left her.

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