Ash Wednesday (18th February) signals the beginning of Lent, but if you’re intending to abstain from something for the next 40 days, you could be making one significant error.
Lent is a Christian observance which spans from Shrove Tuesday (17th February), commonly referred to as Pancake Day, through to Maundy Thursday (2nd March), which falls just before Easter.
The Lenten period is marked by Christians, and others wishing to observe the tradition, relinquishing something they regard as an indulgence, such as chocolate, comfort foods, social media, or television.
Some Christians from more orthodox or traditional branches may opt to fast during Lent, though it’s more typical to select one thing to give up.
There’s also an important factor you should consider after Shrove Tuesday – and Reverend Andy Fitchet said many don’t know about it.
The Minister of the Methodist Churches in Andover and Hungerford posted a video on TikTok in which he pinpointed a common misconception about Lent.
Lent is meant to see people fast or relinquish an indulgence for 40 days between now and Easter. However, if you were to calculate the days until Good Friday, you’d discover there are actually 46 days left.
This is because Lent doesn’t apply on Sundays. If you exclude every Sunday from now until Easter, you’d arrive at the proper 40-day fasting period – meaning if you’re denying yourself that chocolate bar on a Sunday, you’re making Lent more difficult than necessary for absolutely no reason.
Andy clarified: “Lent doesn’t include Sundays! This is your annual reminder that Lent does not include Sundays. Lent, including Sundays, is 46 days, not 40. So if you’re giving something up, you get Sundays off, because Sunday is always a feast day and not a fast day.”
Andy continued by stating that abstaining from something during Lent doesn’t automatically earn you divine favour, regardless of whether you continue avoiding chocolate on Sundays or not.
He continued: “Here’s the more accurate truth: God doesn’t care. God doesn’t care whether you give up chocolate, or whether you give up wine, or whatever you do.
“It’s a good thing to do to practice self-control and to look at ourselves and see whether our lives match up with how we should be living and what we should be doing. But in reality, God doesn’t care.
“But God does care if we don’t feed the poor. Or look after those in poverty. So Lent is actually about focusing on what really matters, rather than about our self-indulgence. Where are our loyalties? How are we helping those who don’t have the things that we have that we can afford to give up?
“So, enjoy Lent. But remember: Sundays off, and give to the poor.”
