Your guide to Lent in Catholicism, including Stations of the Cross, customs and traditions, and more. Includes a range of books and blogs.
Lent is a season of penance of forty days before Easter, when Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and is traditionally a time of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (which means giving away your money, resources or time). It is a time for spiritual renewal.
The final week of Lent is Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday. During this week, Christians remind themselves, in a special way, of the suffering and death of Jesus. Holy Week, at first, starts triumphantly. The people of that time welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with great rejoicing. They spread palm branches and clothes at his feet. ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ They received Him like a king.
After Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem the mood changed dramatically. People who had hailed Him as king, called for His death only a few days later. Knowing what was to come, Jesus had one last supper with His disciples, where He made them and us a gift: He gives himself to us in bread and wine as they become His Body and Blood.
On Good Friday Christians walk with Jesus on his painful journey to Calvary, the place where Jesus was crucified. On Good Friday, the faithful listen to the Passion of Jesus and think of the painful path He walked.
The darkness of death is broken by the light of Christ is risen! Three days after the death of Jesus, on Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate His Resurrection. This Easter joy lasts for fifty days, culminating in Pentecost.
Time and time again Israel’s prophets spoke about the need to go back into the desert where Moses had led Israel’s ancestors. Today, we too find it valuable to go back into the desert, so that as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we are armed with weapons of self-restraint.
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Why do we fast in Lent? Why is Lent 40 days? How is Lent traditionally observed? What is the purpose of the Stations of the Cross? Discover Catholic customs & traditions for Lent in this blog.
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Why do Catholics receive ashes on their foreheads on Ash Wednesday? How should Ash Wednesday be observed? What does it mean to fast? How do parishes mark the beginning of Lent? Explore Catholic customs and traditions associated with Ash Wednesday in this blog post.
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These inspiring meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary by Pope Francis truly bring the events of Jesus' Passion to the forefront of our hearts and minds.
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Christians believe that Jesus gave his life for us by dying on the Cross, and then rose from the dead on the third day, in the glory of the Resurrection. His death brings forgiveness for sin. But why did he have to die?
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Why was a man of peace like Jesus condemned to death on a Cross? Why did Jesus have to redeem us on the Cross, of all places? Did Jesus really experience fear of death? Understand the crucifixion and death of Jesus and what it means for Christians in this blog.
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What does the word "Maundy" mean? Why does the Queen distribute Maundy Money? Why do we eat Hot Cross Buns? Why is Good Friday called "Good"? What happens at the Easter Vigil? Discover Catholic customs & traditions for the Triduum in this group of blogs.
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Help children learn about and understand the rituals and traditions that make up Holy Week and Easter, from Palm Sunday to the Easter Vigil.
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Holy Week is the most important week of the Church's year and it begins with Palm Sunday. Discover the meaning behind the palms and how the Church marks Palm Sunday in this blog.
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