Lent – “the lengthening of days”

Lent has begun; the march toward Jerusalem, the preparation for Easter, the observance of the passion – literally Lent means “the lengthening of days,” when springtime starts.  A great Lenten reading from Theological Horizons is posted here; it includes a daily prayer and reflections by Henri Nouwen. (Other groups also have great Lenten resources, like Sojourners and Bread for the World.) The pope has also encouraged people to care for the poor during Lent.   

My favorite Lent story (from Kara), goes like this – a man was visiting another family’s home during the season of Lent.  They offered him a beer and he declined, saying that he was trying to give up something important to him for Lent, and so he had decided to give up drinking beer.  Then he asked the family if instead, they had any scotch he could drink – because “since it wasn’t beer, it didn’t count.”  :)  Nothing like Lent being a reason for someone to turn to hard liquor instead of Bud light.