Show 1 r l s 1 0 1 1 t. t 44 ct r o y If J k b lk i k r x i I DO O o ivah y r of nr ODD ODDo D o By ly H. H L. L millis ILLIONS of followers of the Christian faith over 11 the world are at t this season season season sea sea- son making ng preparations for the Easter festival the most Important occasion occasion occa occasion occa- occa sion In the Christian calendar If Chr Christ st be n not t risen from the dead then Is our preaching v vain In said I Paul and the whole Christian structure structure structure ture rests upon the resurrection as Its foundation Without the resurrection the hope of humanity Is gone for only In a living g Christ Is there salvation The death and resurrection of Christ are primarily Involved In the keeping of the Lenten season which Is observed formally by the older branches of the Christian church The he different churches V vary ry In their practices In Inthe Inthe inthe the observance of the forty days precedIng preceding preceding pre pre- ceding Easter but the spirit prompting the observance Is the same In all Some of ot the Protestant churches do donot donot donot not observe Lent but many ministers find It a propitious time for evangelis- evangelis tic effort and In recent years some some very ery successful evangelistic campaigns have been waged by Protestants In Inthe Inthe inthe the large cities during the season of ot Len Lent t. t The history of Lent has many Interesting interesting Inter Inter- esting passages The severe rules of ot the fast prescribed In the early days have been greatly relaxed during the centuries as far tar as they apply to physical observance Since the earliest times time In religious history fasting tasting at times has been a custom Tl The e patriarchs had great and the ancient Israelites had devotional fasts for the fhe expiation of ot sins Moses passed forty days on Mount Horeb In fasting and after Israel was defeated at AI Al Joshua and the elders remained prostrate before the ark from morning until evening without eating Christ spent forty days In the wilderness In fasting but however however however how how- ever prevalent the custom It does not appear that either Jewish l legislation or Christ Himself either by command or example ever designated any certain certaIn certain tain period for fasting I It Is certain however that the examples examples examples ex ex- ex- ex amples of Moses Elias Ellas and Christ exercised exercised exercised ex ex- a great Influence upon the establishment es es- of ot the L Lenten nten season In Inthe Inthe inthe the Christian church and that observance observance ance of the period of or forty days days' was evolved from their examples Modern scholarship rejects th that tent Lent was of apostolic Institution although some of the early fathers contended that It was While the apostles fasted i at lit seasons ason and enjoined the practice upon others the specific Lenten observance observance ob ob- ob- ob servance fer was evolved after apostolic times s. s In the Catholic Encyclopedia which Is the principal authority upon Catholic Catho Catho- lic Ul history and teachings and teachings s. s some interesting Interesting Interesting Inter Inter- esting facts are recited about this season season season sea sea- son which whatever er Its origin origin ori orI- gin has been heen religiously observed every every ev ev- erf ery year for at least 1700 years The Ile he word Lent Itself Is a Teutonic word which has been In use since the Saxon Anglo period and Is generally used i In preference to th the Latin term meaning the Forty days The forty day observance nce of ot Lent Is not mentioned by the pre pre- Nicene fathers but St. St At of ot Alexandria after tra traveling over Europe Europe Europe Eu Eu- rope wrote wroe In that a fast was gen Ien practiced In Europe and he enjoIned enjoined enjoined en en- joined upon the to do likewise to the end that while all the world Is fasting we who are In Egypt should not pot become a laughingstock laughing laughingstock st stock ck as the only people who do not fast but take our pleasures In these e days das As the cent centuries rIes passed there was great diversity In the practices practices-of of keepIng keeping keep- keep Ing lag Lent but from the earliest times there was a prohibition against the eatIng eating eat eat- eating ing of ot meat and It was deemed especially espe espo pious to refrain from eating eggs or fruit with a hard covering In the beginning there was no prohibition ngaI against st the but St. St Gregory Gregory Gregory Greg Greg- ory in writing to St. St Augustine from England laid down the rule We abstain from flesh meat and from all things from flesh eggs milk and cheese There were were special dispensations for eating these products however however how bow ever eyer and many churches were built with the gifts gUts for these dispensations Thus a steeple in the cathedral at Rouen was known as The liThe Butter Tower The custom of giving Easter eggs so much enjoyed by the children of today oday arose from the prohibition of eggs The eggs were blessed a and d given given en to the tile children Althou Although h In the early Middle Ages the rules of the fast were very strict with only one light meal on week days and that In inthe the tho evenings and no flesh on Sundays the rules began to be less rigid a little later It became the custom custom custom cus cus- tom to break the fast at three o'clock In th the afternoon or the period called nome Charlemagne Is said to ha have va taken his Lenten repast at two o'clock In tb the afternoon Gradually the time was moved up to mIdda midday as nome home was wasa a period rather than an hour and the repast was eventually taken at twelve o'clock and the word nome name Is perpetuated perpetuated perpetuated per per- In our word noon The collation was Introduced in the Ninth century when the council at la Chapelle sanctioned that conces- conces c conces sion It began with allowing In monasteries mo mot a draught o of water to the Inmates at evening after a day of ot labor la la- bor From this the much larger Indulgence Indulgence Indulgence gence was developed The principle that a small quantity of ot food but not taken as as a regular meal did not not break the fast was adopted by Thlmas Thimas Aquinas the celebrated Dominican theologian and in the course curse of ot centuries cen con tunes tudes taking of at food not nat to exceed eI eight ht ounces became recognized as a lawful custom of ot the church It took I the name of collation because because It was first taken In the monasteries at the h hur hour ur at nt which the of ot Abbot Abbot Abbot Ab Ab- Ab- Ab bot were read aloud to the br brethren thren In modern times the Catholic l church hurch prescribes rules more lenient especial especially ly for the working people who are not prohibited from frou eating flesh rn meat at except except except ex ex- ex- ex on Fridays Ash Wednesdays and Saturday of Holy week and soldiers and sailors In active service are are dispensed dispensed dispensed dis dis- dis- dis from the law of n abstinence except except except ex ex- ex- ex on Ash Wednesday and find several se other othel holy l days Aside from flom the fasting as an ob ob- ser of ot the Lenten season the Catholic church conducts special services services ser Ices ices at stated times and the fundamental fundamental funda funda- fundamental mental doctrines of ot the church are preached and other ceremonies monies carried out It Is the desire deslie that all should refrain from all pleasures luring during this forty-day forty period and keep their minds anti and hearts upon spiritual things The other churches that observe Lent dispense with the fast but stress the period as a time for self examina tion and pra prayer er and to Christ Their members also dis dIs- dispense i pense ense with ordinary worldly pleasures during the Lenten season and observe It as a period o of extra religious us effort |