Magyar Egyház, 1983 (62. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)

1983-01-01 / 1. szám

magyar ecyfíHZ

LET US LOOK AT LENT

On February 16th of this year, a period of the Christian Calendar begins, and is called Lent. Through our Christian education and the teaching of our parents many of us heard about this. There are many things we would like to know about the way to handle ourselves during this 40 day period of Lent.

As to the origin of Lent, we must go back to the Old Testament. In the early ages, (and it would be difficult to prove when), when men realized his religious feelings, it happened that the gods were jealous of the pleasures of men and men wanted to satisfy the pleasures of gods, that he started to practice abstinence in the thought that this would be in their favor. Beginning with this thought, fasting became an ordinary part of man’s religious life, and even today in almost every religion we find that fasting as a religious duty is almost universal.

In the Old Testament the most known fasting period was once a year, the fasting on the great Day of Atonement. However there were other occasions when nations or individuals fasted. From the Old Testament it is remarkable that the Jews or Jewish fasts were always observed with various degrees of strictness.

After the great exile of the Jewish nation in Babylonia, other fasts are mentioned, those were periodical fasts other than on the Day of Atonement.

To clear the meaning of the Day of Atonement, which was referred to, I must mention that this day was a day of Commemoration of the giving of the Law, and was celebrated beside the regular sacrifices by special ceremonies. The Day of Atonement is also known as the day on which the people of Israel reconciled unto Jehovah. This day is celebrated even today, which falls sometimes in October according to our calendar, but is measured out according to the Jewish Calendar. This day is a high Sabbath Day according to tradition and no work is to be done and the people were to afflict their souls. This means that they were to fast from evening to evening, and those that did not

follow this law were to be cut off from the children of Israel.

After this Old Testament background, let us see how the believers in Christ celebrated and kept this period of fasting in the New Testament Church. Since the early Christians were mostly Jewish converts, we can expect that their celebrations took on a Jewish format

Since the Babylonian captivity the Jews started to fast two days a week, such as on Tuesday and Friday, the early Christians accepted these two days as their fasting days too. The fasting however has little religious significance. In fact, our Lord spoke against this, when He rebukes the Pharisees and us if our fasting becomes a hypocritical pretense and observed as such.

Our Lenten fasting, or the custom of fasting arose in the second century in the Christian Church consisting of 40 days preceeding Easter. This period was and is different is various countries. In the sixth century fasting was obligatory by the Second Council of Orleans in 541 A.D., which decreed that anyone neglecting to observe the stated time, should be treated as an offender.

In the eighth century it was regarded as a highly necessary part of Christian living. Those not complying with this law were to be excommunicated from the Church.

In the Roman and Greek Catholic Churches, fasting even today remains obligatory, while in our Protestant Churches it is merely recommended. While fasting is a recommended action, the question must be asked as to what it consists of. Many of us might remember from our Confirmation that it is listed with the Christian Holidays, that Lent is a period of 40 days preceeding Easter, when time should be devoted by the believer for sincere self-examination, to make us realize that while we are all sinners, we can receive forgiveness and the gift of eternal life because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. How simple it sounds, yet how complicated it gets, when we think of the

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tradition of not eating or drinking certain foods or drinks.

Is it all a mistake? Do we follow something which is unscriptural? Or do we follow something that was only an order by the officials of the early Church, more closely a faith and its orders that we no longer are a part of? Not exactly, for Lent is, or should be a time we must forego material things. This is what will explain our philosophy of Lent. When I stated that Lent is a time of self-examination, this is what we have in mind. Lent should be a time for spiritual discipline and devotion, when we humbly bow before the Lord and realize and confess how undeserving we are for the gifts God provides, for the sins He forgives, and for the gift of eternal life He offers unto His children.

It must be said, that Lent consists of doing something, not merely in doing without something.

Not eating certain foods will not bring any change in our lives. The consequence of Lent therefore is that Lent is not so much a matter of giving up something as it is a taking on something — taking on the work of God’s Kingdom, taking on lifes battle with a deeper sense and a greater trust in God's help. Taking on a sort of living that is marked by the acts of loving kindness and sacrificial service, taking on a spirit and mind, the disposition of the nature of our risen Lord, as Paul expressed it. Lent is a time of learning to put on the character of Jesus Christ.

If you look around the world, was there a better time when the world needed more to put on and live by the spirit and teachings of Jesus Christ? Our world, acknowledge it or not, is rapidly turning away from the principles of Christ, and yet we still expect Him to be on our side.

May this Lenten season help us realize these things and make changes. Christ makes it possible for us to choose between good and evil. He still promises to save us. Let us reach out toward His hand and celebrate a meaningful Lent. Let us come before Him on bended knee and accept His offer of salvation and remind ourselves what will happen to us if we neglect so great a Salvation. C,,T