Caceres Prepares for Lenten Season

On February 26, the church will again observe Ash Wednesday. Marking the start of Lenten season, it is a day of reflection and repentance from sin. It’s possible that you may see some people walking around with black marks on their foreheads on this particular day, as some Catholics and other Christians who observe this holiday mark their foreheads with ashes in the shape of a cross, publicly showing remorse for their sins.

Lent 2020 is a six-week period leading up to Easter. Lent begins 46 days before the Saturday of Easter weekend (Easter Sunday falls on Sunday, April 12, 2020), but is only observed Monday-Saturday each week because every Sunday is viewed as a celebration. Therefore, Lent is observed a total of 40 days.

The word “Lent” comes from the longer Old English word “lencten,” which means “Spring.”

Lent and Ash Wednesday presuppose “giving things up” and don’t necessarily sound like celebratory events, but has solemn components to it, it’s also filled with hope, faith, and striving to focus more on God and less on self.

In the Archdiocese of Caceres, the General Theme of Lent 2020 is: Jesus, the Source of Christian Unity and Dialogue Among Religions and Indigenous Peoples (Si Jesus, Burabod kan Pagkasasarong Kristyano asin Pakipag-ulay sa mga Relihiyon asin mga Katutubo). The theme on Ash Wednesday is: “Repentance as Starting Point of Christian Unity and Dialogue Among Religions and Indigenous Peoples”

The above theme is based on the celebration of 2020 as the Year of Inter-religious Dialogue, Ecumenism and Indigenous Peoples.

The celebration will culminate on Holy Week, as the week leading up to Easter. The week begins on “Palm Sunday” (which is Sunday, April 5, 2020), it consists of other significant days such as “Holy Thursday” and “Good Friday” The Easter Sunday, the resurrection of Jesus, will be on April 12, 2020.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop, Most Rev Rolando J Tirona, OCD, will open the lenten season with the traditional Via Crucis Kaiba an Arzobispo on February 26, at 5:00pm at the Metropolitan Cathedral grounds. Cccom News