The Season of Lent
 Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday (17 Feb) and ends on Holy Saturday (3 Apr). Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "lencten" which means "spring". The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting, and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians. Because Sundays are always little Easters, the penitential spirit of Lent should be tempered with joyful expectation of the Resurrection. The liturgical colour is PURPLE, the colour of penitence and preparation. The symbol on the purple pulpit and altar cloth reminds us of the "Crown of Thorns" and the "nails" that were used in the crucifixion of Jesus.
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