Lent is a 40-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter. Sundays are not counted in the 40 days, as Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. It is a period that the church sets aside to focus on Christ’s suffering and sacrifice.
Lent began in the apostolic era and was universal in the ancient church. For this reason, Lent is observed by the various Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran and Anglican denominations, by Roman Catholics and by Eastern Orthodox churches.
In the 16th century, many Calvinists and Anabaptists discarded all Christian holy days on the theory that they were Roman innovations. That was their best information at the time, but today we know they were wrong. In the late 19th century, ancient Christian documents came to light: the Didache from the first century, the Apostolic Constitutions from the third century, and the diaries of Egeria of the fourth century, all of which give evidence of the Christian calendar and holy days.
Gradually, the holy days have returned to the churches that had lost them. The restoration quickly began with Easter. Christmas followed in the 19th century, and Advent and Holy Week became widespread among them in the 20th century. Lent has become increasingly important over the past few years in the church, as we recognize the need to prepare — in discipline and sacrifice — for the great celebration of Resurrection.