When did Lent come about?
From the early days of the church we have evidence of some sort of observance of Lent. We have a writing from St. Irenaeus (d. 203) to Pope St. Victor I where he says this about Lent:
"The dispute is not only about the day, but also about the actual character of the fast...Such variation in the observance did not originate in our own day, but very much earlier, in the time of our forefathers." (Eusebius, History of the Church, V, 24)
Who were the "forefathers" he was referring to? The apostles of Jesus! (James, John, Peter, just to name a few...) So practicing Lent is something we do in solidarity with those who were the first followers of Christ. Why did they institute this period of fasting? Hasn't Christ already died for our sins?
While Christ has died for our sins, we are still human, and without prayer and vigilance we can easily take our Lord's sacrifice for granted. The early Church instituted this period of fasting as a designated time to reflect on our relationship with Christ. Fasting helps us concentrate on our Lord instead of other pleasures of this world that can lead us astray.
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