The Easter Season - 96 Days of Time with God

 

THE SEASON OF LENT

Traditionally, What Is Lent? 

Today, What Can Lent Be For Me?

 

Traditionally, Lent speaks of a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial, and spiritual discipline, also a time of spiritual reflection.  Most often, Lent might be thought of as a time for “giving up” something that we cherish, want, or even need.  Those are all good things to practice during Lent, as well as, every other day or time of the year. 

Today, in this 2021 season of Lent, I want to take a different view of Lent, rather than or in addition to the traditional views of Lent.  I want to view Lent as, Not A Time Of 'Giving Up,' But Of 'Taking' Time To Be With God.  I got this idea after reading an article that I found online by Nancy Sylvester, titled,  Lent not a time of 'giving up,' but of 'taking' time to be with God, February 17, 2021.

For the past several years, since 2017, during the season of Lent, I have engaged in a time period that I call The Easter Season that lasts for 96 days.  The season begins with Day 1, Ash Wednesday, and continues to the remembrance of Palm Sunday’s Procession into Jerusalem, onto the remembrance of the Good Friday Crucifixion at the Place of the Skull, onto the remembrance of the Easter Sunday Resurrection at the tomb.  That’s a total of 47 days, the traditional Lenten season.  To that I have added another 49 days to the remembrance of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, followed by the remembrance of Pentecost which is 50 days from the Resurrection.  The days for those remembrances for 2021 are as follows:                       

THE 96 DAYS OF THE EASTER SEASON

Day   1       Ash Wednesday      Wed,              Feb 17, 2021

Day 40       Palm Sunday           Sun,               Mar 28, 2021

Day 44       Last Supper             Thu,               Apr 01, 2021

Day 45       Good Friday            Fri,                 Apr 02, 2021

Day 46       Easter Vigil             Sat,                 Apr 03, 2021

Day 47       Easter Sunday         Sun,               Apr 04, 2021

Day 86       Ascension                 Thu,               May 13, 2021

Day 96       Pentecost                  Sun,               May 23, 2021

To aid in the discovery of the meaning of the Lenten Season, as I have done since 2017, I have been considering the passages of the Gospel of Luke, beginning with Luke 9:51 and ending with Luke 19:41.  Those passages cover the final journey of Jesus, when He steadfastly decided to go to Jerusalem to finish the mission for which He was sent to Earth to give His life for the people of the world, to when He arrives at Jerusalem, overlooking the city from the hill to the east.

Luke 9:51 - Jesus Steadfastly Set His Face To Go To Jerusalem

"Now it came to pass,

when the time had come

for Him to be received up,

that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,

and sent messengers before His face."

Luke 19:41 - Jesus Arrives At Jerusalem

“And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it.”

So, as Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, let us steadfastly set our faces to follow Him in our journey during this season of Lent, this Easter Season, a 96 day journey to give of ourselves and take time to be with God with the ultimate goal of understanding what Jesus did for us and what He offers us, Eternal Life.

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