T Minus 40(ish): The We-Wu for March 3-7, 2025
The word “Lent” is a fairly recent addition to the Christian lexicon. It comes from the Old English word “lencten,” which itself is derived from words that mean “long day.” Basically, when the days get longer, we celebrate Lent.
In Greek, the word is Sarakostí. In Latin, it is quadragesima. Both signify a 40-day period, and refer specifically to the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his ministry.
Similarly, Lent is traditionally practiced by Christians as a way to voluntarily abstain from and experience deprivation of something in the days before Easter. It’s a great way to inspire greater gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice.
This is one of those things that really suffered as a result of the Protestant Reformation. Contrary to what you might believe, I’m a pretty traditional person. I like routine, I like the norm, and I like knowing what to expect from day to day.
Gradually, over time, the traditions of the Catholic Church came to be seen as archaic. And to be fair, if you’re just doing something for the sake of doing it, it’s not going to be super valuable for you. But there’s a beauty in the liturgy, at least for me. I like the rites and the pomp and the safety net of always knowing what to say.
And you know what? There are no rules stating that you can’t have that. I go to my modern church on Sunday, and then I sing hymns during the week. Sometimes, I even listen to Byzantine chants. I think a lot of people are too quick today to turn up their nose at something just because it came out of the Catholic or Orthodox traditions. As long as you’re serving Jesus, I don’t especially care what the dressing looks like.
All that to say, we’re officially in Lent season now. I have set myself a particularly trying goal for the next 40 days. We’ll see how it goes.
I really hope that made sense. It’s one of those things I don’t get to do very often, but it’s easy while being vital to the process.
I do get a little distracted at times.
(Yes, I know I missed a couple of things. That’s why I double check.)
Anyway, I think that’s about it for the week.
Oh! I figured out why my fonts weren’t working. Turns out Creative Cloud doesn’t always know how to talk to my Mac. I basically deleted everything (twice) and then downloaded it again. I even turned it off and on again for good measure.
A truly great show. But heavily reliant on understanding Britishisms.
I’m taking care of a lot of small stuff right now since my parents will be staying in my apartment for a night. That’s an incredible motivator.
Be good, y’all!
