Lent?

[graciesings]

I was raised protestant and I don’t understand much about Lent. I know it is a period of mourning in the days before Easter. I know it starts on Ash Wednesday and ends in Holy Week. But what is the Biblical basis for giving up something during Lent? Can you tell me more about this fasting on Fridays idea? What are some other Catholic beliefs about Lent?
Thank you for your time,
Curious Lutheran teenager.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

Have you seen the Catholic Answers Q&A on this?

 

[bzkoss236]

Giving something up for lent is a type of fast, and you don’t have to give something up, you can also take something on. It is something you should be doing to take time away from your usual life or things that may distract you, to allow you to spend more time focusing on our Lord and His sacrifice for us. Fasting, as you know, is certainly biblical. Fasting can be santioned by one’s church. I’ve known a number of protestant churches who sanction fasts for their members for one reason or another.

And it isn’t fasting from meat, it is abstinence from meat, and again, this is to focus on getting us into a state to be more focused on Jesus. It used to be that it was every Friday of the year that we were supposed to abstain from meat, and then every day during Lent (I believe). But for whatever reason, they loosened these restrictions.

 

[graciesings]

Thank you! I had not seen those articles, and I am glad I read them.
God bless you all!