Depending on one’s church denomination, some people might be familiar with the liturgical church calendar. Others might have no clue what the liturgical calendar is or how it is structured. As a brief description, the liturgical calendar is typically divided into three primary times: Christmas, Easter and the Ordinary Church. The seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany all fall under the Time of Christmas, while the Easter Time begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Pentecost. The Ordinary Church Time is everything between Pentecost and the beginning of Advent. Perhaps two of the most important seasons of the church calendar are Advent, the preparation for the birth of Christ, and Lent, the preparation for the resurrection of Christ.
This year, Ash Wednesday is on February 18, 2026 – just less than a week away. Unlike Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Easter Sunday services, Ash Wednesday services are typically more solemn and reflective like those held on Good Friday. Perhaps the thing that sets Ash Wednesday services apart is the ashen cross that is placed upon the forehead. This cross is a reminder of repentance and the fact that we all are made from dust and will return to dust upon our passing. The other significant part of Ash Wednesday is that it marks the beginning of the season of Lent.
As a person who grew up observing the Lenten season, I believe that it is both a beautiful and meaningful practice to observe. The season serves as a time of both fasting and reflection of the self that prepares the soul for the morbidity of Good Friday, the waiting anticipation of Holy Saturday and the rejoicing and gladness of Easter Sunday. Practioners of Lent often take on a form of fasting which can look like fasting from food, social media, a hobby or something else that might be idolized or prioritized above God. This fasting is not meant to be showy or to receive admiration from others; in fact, it is meant to be the exact opposite. Like Christ told His disciples, fasting should be done in secret where only the individual and the Father know.
However, fasting alone is not the purpose of Lent, but rather it should be done alongside reflection. When fasting during Lent, you should also be reflecting on yourself and examine your life in accordance with the teachings of the Bible. The reflection of the soul, specifically in a spiritual manner, is twofold. You should reflect on your own spiritual walk and use this time to grow closer to God. Simultaneously, you should also reflect on the works of Christ and the meaning of the death and resurrection of Christ. Through fasting, you deny yourself the desires of the flesh. Through reflection, you align yourself with God’s teachings and observe the reason for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Lent is not meant to be happy or easy. It is meant to be sober and challenging as well as convicting. Observance of Lent through fasting and reflection should cause you to be aware of your short fallings. It should stir the desire to remove the things that have become idols in your life. It should make you reflect on God’s loving mercy and the power of forgiveness that is demonstrated through Christ’s sacrifice.
Just as Advent is the season of awaiting the birth of Christ, Lent is the season of awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise of redemption and salvation. There is a reason why many in the Christian faith view Good Friday as the darkest day in Christian history. After all, it is the day that our Lord and Savior was crucified upon a tree for our transgressions. The Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world. But the story does not end there. It only begins with Good Friday. Because Christ rose again three days later, and death has been conquered.
The season of Lent is a season of preparation. The fasting of a favorite food or social media or something else that we enjoy and prioritize is a reminder of the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf. Only there is nothing that we can do that can ever repay that debt. But we can express our deepest gratitude during this time by reprioritizing God as the only thing worthy of our worship.
While Lent is set apart as a season of fasting and reflection, that does not mean that it is the only time that we should be fasting or reflecting on God’s teachings. As Christians, we should be in a constant state of reflection of God’s word. We should fast from time to time as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice. We should fast from the worldly things to help us realign our focus on Christ and we should reflect on His goodness and mercy.
Maybe you do not jump straight into a forty-day fast. But would you at least consider fasting in some form or another? Perhaps you fast from social media on Sundays, or you skip “Warm Cookies Wednesday.” And if fasting really is not your thing, then maybe you find another way to prioritize God during this forty-day journey to the cross and empty tomb. My point is that you should challenge yourself to take a step away from the world and reflect on the glory of God and the saving grace that comes with Christ’s sacrifice.
