The Meaning of Lent
     The Church season known as Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
     The season of Lent can be traced all the way back to the fourth century. The Council of Nicaea in 325AD referred to Lent as “forty days”. About 348 AD, Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem told those persons about to be baptized into the faith: “You will have a long period of grace, forty days for repentance.”
     The 40 days of Lent began as an intensive period of final preparation of candidates for baptism at Easter.  Candidates prepared for as much as three years in what was much more like an apprenticeship than classroom instruction.  It was an apprenticeship under a mentor and spiritual direction of experienced Christians in all aspects of Christian faith and life.  The final 40 days of Lent were not final exams as in a school.  They were a time of study, prayer, fasting, repentance, self examination and scrutiny by other Christians to determine if a candidate was ready for baptism.  The persons joining the Church were baptized early Easter morning.  Only persons who had gone through this intensive study during Lent could be baptized and join the Church.  Later it became clear that a whole congregation needed to be revived to be ready to incorporate these new converts into the life of the congregation.  They needed to be reminded of what it means to be a committed Christian.  A lukewarm congregation receiving highly committed converts would "pour new wine into old
wineskins" (Mark 2:22).  Easter became a time for recommitment for the whole congregation. 
     By Augustine’s time, Lent had become a time of preparation for all Christians. It was, and still is, a solemn time of spiritual introspection. These forty days are days in which Christians are encouraged to look inward, come to repentance, and live a new life in Christ.
     The mood of Lent is somber. The paraments (or alter cloths) are purple. This color signifies the solemnity of Lent. Many churches do not have altar flowers during Lent to help set the tone for the season.
     For many, Lent is simply a time of giving up sweets, chocolate, or some other ‘goody’. However, for the Christian, it should be a time to look deeply into one’s own life, understand one’s sinfulness, and be willing to rely on the grace of God to live renewed lives.

Pretzels for Lent
     The common pretzel was originally designed for use during Lent. Sometime during the Middle Ages, when Lent was accompanied by strict bans on dairy products and meat, people subsisted largely on breads, pastries, soups and vegetables. Bakers in Germany decided to create a good that would even look religious—the pretzel. The crossed arms of a pretzel represent a Christian in prayer. Place the palm of each hand on the opposite shoulder, so that your forearms cross. That’s the shape of a pretzel.