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Lent always lasts for more than calendar days. The 40 days of fasting does not include Sundays, meaning Lent lasts for 46 calendar days.

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Q: Why does lent last more than forty days this year?
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Lent asks us to be less what and think more of others?

The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God's will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts." Believe it or not, Lent was never observed by Christ or His apostles. He commanded His disciples to "Go you therefore, and teach all nations…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19-20). Jesus never commanded them to observe Lent or Easter. He did, however, command them to keep Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. In fact, during His last Passover on earth, Christ gave detailed instructions on how to observe the Passover service. He also instituted new Passover symbols (John 13:1-17).


What is the longest fast recorded in the Bible?

In the Gospel accounts which record this, it is after His baptism by John the Baptist. The synoptic gospels say that Jesus went into the wilderness for forty days, an allusion to the prophet Elijah. Mark 1:13 tells of Jesus in the wilderness forty days, ministered to by angels, just as Elijah was ministered by an angel and in the wilderness forty days (1 Kings 19:5-7). The 'Q' document follows the allusion to Elijah in a subtly different way, taking the angel out of the gospel story and instead having Jesus fast for forty days (in the company of Satan), just as Elijah did after the angel ministered to him. This version in found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.


How many people wandered with Moses in the wilderness?

The Bible says that 600,000 fighting men were among the Israelites who left Egypt. This is equivalent to a total population of at least 2,500,00, including women, children, the elderly and the priestly tribe. In addition to this number were all those who were born during the forty years in the wilderness. However, it seems that deaths more or less matched births, as a similar number of Israelites were said to have crossed over into Canaan, as left Egypt.For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/bible/the-book-of-exodus


Why Jesus waited ten days to send the Holy Spirit?

The Bible does not specifically address why 40 days. It has been conjectured that 40 days would have A. provided enough time for numerous eye-witnesses to see and interact with Him to verify His victory over death and B. there is a symbolism connected to the Israel's wandering in the desert prior to entering the promised land.


How long was the ark afloat?

It is said that the ark floated for 40 days and 40 nights.** ** Previous Answer WRONG!-Genesis Chapter 8. Try reading it. In chapter 7, it is mentioned that the rain lasted for 40 days and 40 nights. In Genesis 8:3, it is mentioned that, "at the end of the one hundred and fifty days the water decreased." Depending on your reckoning of this time frame, the ark was afloat somewhere between 150 and 190 days. This is from the New King James Version of the Bible, which among Christian readers is known to be somewhat unreliable. A Hebrew telling of this account might be more accurate. Regardless of other potential inaccuracies, the correct answer is either 150 or 190 days.

Related questions

What is the purpose of Lent?

Lent recalls the 40 days Jesus fasted and prayed in the desert in preparation for His ministry. The 40-day season of lent is a time for us to take stock of the way we're living and set aside those things that distract us from having a deeper relationship with God. It is marked by greater prayer, fasting and almsgiving in preparation for the celebration of Easter, and is a journey that follows the path of Jesus through His terrible suffering and death on the cross. These were great acts of love and forgiveness ending with the celebration of His glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday.


What special day is immediately before lent?

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is celebrated before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of Lent. Mardi Gras is a long celebration that begins on or after the Epiphany and lasts until the night before Ash Wednesday; the actual day before Wednesday is traditionally the last day to eat rich, sumptuous foods before the ritual fasting that happens during Lent. Lent is the approximately six week period of solemn religious observance before Easter Day. It is traditionally described as lasting for forty days, to symbolize the forty days Jesus Christ fasted in the desert; however, the duration can actually vary. Lent comes after the Mardi Gras celebrations and Shrovetide and before Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and Easter.


Why is Lent observed?

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and the marking of our foreheads with ashes.Marking our foreheads reminds us that, like Jesus who died on Good Friday and rose on Easter Friday, we must die to sin, if we are to rise to new life with Jesus. (from the Catholicism book)Lent ends with Holy Week. It celebrates the final week of Jesus' life on earth, especially His Last Supper on Holy Thursday and His Crucifixion on Good Friday.This season ends 50 days later on Pentecost. This celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is the birthday of the Church.Roman Catholic AnswerLent is a season of prayer and penance to better prepare the faithful for the feast of the Resurrection and dispose them for a more fruitful reception of the graces that Christ merited by His passion and death. By the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Lent was already forty days, this period has been associated with Our Blessed Lord's forty day fast in the desert before beginning his public life.


How many Sunday's in lent?

Six, or maybe none. There are 40 days in Lent. However if you count the number of days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) you find there are 46 days. The extra days are 6 Sundays. These Sundays are not really part of Lent. So if you give up chocolate for Lent you can eat it on Sundays. If you give up something more important like sarcasm or endeavor to do some good work then I suggest you keep up the effort on Lenten Sundays.


How long is Lent?

Dates for LentLent 2010Lent 2010 begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2010.Lent 2010 ends on Good Friday, April 2, 2010.For Eastern Rite Catholics, Lent 2010 begins two days earlier, on Clean Monday, February 15, 2010.In the Western rite Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends after 3 pm on Good Friday (excluding Sundays).Lent begins every year on Ash Wednesday. It's the 40th day before Easter Sunday (not counting Sundays, because they aren't counted as part of the "season" in Lent).In the Eastern (Orthodox) rite, Lent starts on Clean Monday (two days before Ash Wednesday) and finishes on the Friday before Palm Sunday. Sundays are counted, and Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are a separate fasting period.Actually, the dates for Lent are often commonly mistaken. Technically, according to the General Norms, "Lent runs from Ash Wednesday until the Mass of the Lord's Supper, exclusive" (General Norms 28). This means Lent ends at the beginning of the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.Lent in 2009 started on Wednesday, February 25th; it lasted 46 days, and ended on Saturday, April 11.


What are lent prayers about?

Roman Catholic AnswerLent is a forty days preparation for Easter. It is primarily about penance; most Christians give up something voluntarily beyond the Church's required fast and abstinence, go to extra Masses and prayer services. The Stations of the Cross are a particularly good devotion for Lent. The big three - prayer, fasting, and almsgiving - get star attractions. from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980Lent. The season of prayer and penance before Easter. Its purpose is to better prepare the faithful for the feast of the Resurrection, and dispose them for a more fruitful reception of the graces that Christ merited by his passion and death.In the Latin Rite, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and continues for forty days, besides Sundays, until Easter Sunday [note: actually Lent ends before the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday]. Ash Wednesday occurs on any day from February 4 to Mark 11, depending on the date of Easter.Originally the period of fasting in preparation for Easter did not, as a rule, exceed two or three days. But by the time of the Council of Niceaea (325) forty days were already customary. And ever since, this length of time has been associated with Christ's forty-day fast in the desert before beginning his public life.According to the prescription of Pope Paul VI, in revising the Church's laws of fast and abstinence, "The time of Lent preserves its penitential character. The days of penitence to be observed under obligation throughout the Church are all Fridays and Ash Wednesday, that is to say the first days of Great Lent, according to the diversity of rites. Their substantial observance binds gravely." (Paenitemini III, norm II).Besides fast and abstinence on specified days, the whole Lenten season is to be penitential, with stress on prayer, reception of the sacraments, almsgiving, and the practice of charity. (Etym. Anglo-Saxon lengten, lencten, spring, Lent.)


Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights Although there are 46 days in Lent can you break your Lent once a week?

Yes. There are 40 days in Lent. However if you count the number of days from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday (the day before Easter) you may find there are more than 40 days depending on the year. Every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but we do not break our fast at anytime. These Sundays are still part of Lent. Those that do not abstain from meat for the full period only abstain from meat on Fridays, You must give something else up in addition to the meat for the period of Lent. Something which is difficult for you and which would be a sacrifice. In addition you are to abstain in general, give alms (services, money, etc.), and pray everyday.


Why do Catholics celebrate length?

To the best of my knowledge, Catholics do not celebrate length.


How many days does spotting last?

For me the spotting last more than 3days


How can you spend Lent and Christmas more meaningfully?

Pray, and contemplate the meaning of Lent and Christmas. Apply the meaning to your life.


Where is the concept of the Season of Lent taught in the Bible?

The word "Lent" does not appear in the Bible. The Bible does not teach that the Church should celebrate a Liturgical Season called "Lent" anymore then the Bible commands that the Church should celebrate the Birth of Christ on December 25.The Season of Lent is not a Divine Tradition, it is an Ecclesiastical Custom. The Season of Lent is a time whereby the Church universal reflects more profoundly on the mystery of Sin and the ultimate price that God paid to redeem the human race from the power of Sin. It is a time whereby the Church universal reflects more profoundly on God's call to conversion, to turn away from Sin and be faithful to the Gospel. The Church utilizes the tools of fasting and abstinence in order to remember the words of Christ to Satan when Satan tried to have Jesus turn stone to bread: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."Roman Catholic AnswerThe concept of Lent is loosely based both on the preparation for the Exodus from Egypt in the Old Testament, and more directly on Jesus' forty days in the desert, fasting, and preparing for His public ministry.


Do Seventh-day Adventists celebrate Lent?

No they don't. For more info go to www.watchtower.org