Creating a Catholic Culture

Numbers are really important in the Bible. The number 40 which is the number associated with Lent is no exception. Lent is a period of preparation and always has been. Look back to the early Church… the period of Lent was used to mark the last 40 days of preparation before an adult could get baptized and become a member of the Church. This process of coming into the Church (which we now call Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA) was a three year endeavor, so marking the last 40 days was significant. It was the final purification before the grace of Baptism received at Easter. The entire Church began to recognize this importance. Most of us will not be baptized at Easter. So what did the Church see in it for all of us? That, I believe, is the desert. Christ fled to the desert for 40 days and it was there Jesus encountered temptation. It is when we enter the desert we begin to see our own weaknesses. It is there we see how very much we need Jesus. If you have not begun your Lent yet, please do so. It is never too late. May you have a blessed and holy Lent.