Another view of Lent.... "As the church moved away from the fervor of apostolic times, people's piety began to wane, and bishops cast about for some celebration that would deepen the devotional approach to Easter, climax of the spiritual year...Some observed a total fast for exactly forty days (minus the Lord's Day, Sunday), a feast called Quadragesima, which would evolve into Lent". (Panati, p. 206).
"The forty days' abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, 'in the spring of the year', is still observed by the Yezidis or Pagan Devil-worshippers of Koordistan who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent of forty days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans, for thus we read in Humboldt (Mexican Researches) where he gives account of Mexican observances: " Three days after the vernal equinox...began a solemn fast of forty days in honour of the sun". Such a Lent of forty days was observed in Egypt...expressly in commemoration of Adonis or Osiris, the great mediatorial god. At the same time, the rape of Proserpine seems to have been commemorated, and in a similar manner... "forty nights" the "wailing for Proserpine" continued...Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz which was celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing...being observed in Palestine and Assyria in June, therefore called the "month of Tammuz"". (Hislop, pp. 104, 105). "But at last, when the worship of Astarte was rising into the ascendant, steps were taken to get the whole Chaldean Lent of six weeks, or forty days, made imperative on all within the Roman Empire of the West. The way was prepared for this by a Council held at Aurelia in the time of Hormisdas, Bishop of Rome, about the year 519, which decreed that Lent should be solemnly kept before Easter." (Hislop, pp. 106, 107). http://www.innvista.com/culture/religion/deities/easter.htm Kevin Saldanha Mississauga, ON. ps. How many devotees have given up chicken for Lent ;-? /ks ---------------------- Date: Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:58:13 +0300 From: "domnic fernandes" Subject: [Goanet] The Lenten Season -Lyrics of Konkani song "HEA TEMPAR DEV" by Michael of Wilmix The Lenten Season This year, Lent started on March 1. The tone of worship and church life changes starting with the worship services of that day, all the way to Palm Sunday, and then again to Easter. The feeling is subdued, with a pensive hush, in awe of God, in sharp awareness of how each of us, and all of us together, are not as God calls us to be, and because of that, will eventually die. We are not masters of our lives but are instead subject to the tides of life and are thus much less than God.... ----------------------
