Lenten Season

• Lent, comes from Latin term quadragesima meaning the "forty days", or more literally the "fortieth day".
• Lent. This season is seen as an opportunity to grow closer to God and strengthen one's spiritual life.
• Lent, a time of reflection, penance, and preparation for the celebration of Easter, commemorating the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
• THREE PILLARS OF LENTEN SEASON: PRAYER, FASTING, ALMSGIVING
• People deepen their connection with God through prayer.
• Senakulo: Dramatic reenactments of the Passion of Christ, which are performed in various localities. These plays are deeply rooted in Filipino culture and attract large audiences.
• Visita Iglesia: On Maundy Thursday, many Filipinos visit seven churches to pray the Stations of the Cross as a form of pilgrimage and penance.
• Pabasa ng Pasyon: A unique Filipino tradition where the life, sufferings, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ are chanted in a narrative poem called "Pasyon."
• Fasting, a practice of abstaining from certain foods or activities.
• Fasting, it is inspired by Jesus 40-day fast in desert.
• Partial Fasting: This involves eating smaller or simpler meals, abstaining from certain types of food, or limiting the number of meals consumed during the day.
• Abstaining from Meat: Catholics traditionally abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent as a form of penance and solidarity with Jesus' sacrifice on Good Friday.
• Fasting, On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Filipinos aged 18 and older do fasting and 14 and older abstain from meat. Many also give up other forms of luxury.
• Almsgiving during Lent involves acts of charity and generosity aimed at helping those in need, following the example of Jesus Christ, who showed compassion and love towards the marginalized and vulnerable.
• The ashes are made by burning palm branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday.
• Ash Wednesday initiates the Lenten season. It serves as a spiritual wake-up call for Christians to reflect on their lives, repent for their sins, and renew their faith.
• Holy week, it is the last week of the Christian season (Lent).
• Palm Sunday marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
• The Triduum is the final three days of Holy Week, which includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, leading up to Easter Sunday.
• Maundy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples.
• Maundy Thursday: Institution of the sacrament of Holy Communion.
• Jesus predicts his betrayal by Judas.
• Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, teaching humility and service.
• Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prays before his arrest.
• The word Maundy originates from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "commandment," referring to Jesus' mandate to his disciples to love one another as he loved them.
• The term Good in Good Friday likely originated from "God's Friday," signifying the day of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for humanity's salvation.
• Good Friday, commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
• Black Saturday, It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body lay in the tomb after his crucifixion.
• It is a day of solemn reflection and anticipation as Catholic await the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday.
• Lent lasts for approximately 40 days, not counting Sundays.
• Lent, it begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.