Lent
The forty-day penitential season before Easter, marked by fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, beginning on Ash Wednesday and recalling Jesus' forty days in the desert.
Forty Days of Preparation
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, when the faithful receive ashes on their foreheads as a sign of repentance, and runs for forty days (not counting Sundays) until the Easter Triduum. The number recalls Jesus' forty days of fasting and temptation in the desert before beginning his public ministry, and, further back, the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness after the Exodus — a recurring biblical number associated with testing and preparation.
Fasting, Prayer, and Almsgiving
Catholic tradition organizes Lenten observance around three practices: fasting (reduced eating, particularly on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstaining from meat on Fridays), prayer (often including additional devotions like the Stations of the Cross), and almsgiving (giving to those in need). Together these are meant to turn attention away from self-indulgence and toward God and neighbor, in preparation for the Church's most important celebration at Easter.
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Lent last forty days?
The number recalls Jesus' forty days fasting in the desert before his public ministry, and, further back, Israel's forty years in the wilderness — a biblical number tied to testing and preparation.
Do Sundays count toward the forty days of Lent?
No — Sundays during Lent are traditionally treated as "little Easters" and are not counted among the forty penitential days, which is why the season spans more than forty calendar days from Ash Wednesday to Easter.