Happy Lent :)

[Shin]

Amen amen amen. 

[CyrilSebastian]

From the Lenten hymn Again We Keep This Solemn Fast:   
This Lent which brings us, lovingly   
To faith and hope and charity

[CyrilSebastian]

By the fourth century (when Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire) Lent had developed into its current length of forty days.

[CyrilSebastian]

The Gospel According to St. Matthew: Chapter 20 Verses 17-18   
As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve [disciples] aside   
by themselves and said to them on the way, 
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man     
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,     
and they will condemn him to death."

[CyrilSebastian]

The Gospel of Luke Chapter 19 Verse 38     
They proclaimed:   
Blessed is the king who comes     
in the name of the Lord.   
Peace in heaven     
and glory in the highest.     
 
Only in Luke is Jesus explicitly given the title king when he enters Jerusalem in the triumph.

[CyrilSebastian]

What is the significance of Jesus riding on a colt?

[CyrilSebastian]

The fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9: 9,     
making the triumphant entry of Jesus while riding a lowly animal as a symbol of peace.     
When horses are mentioned in the Bible they are almost always in relation to kings and war.                           

[CyrilSebastian]

In the ancient Biblical world, a leader rode on a horse if he was coming in war and a donkey to signify peace.

[CyrilSebastian]

Forty Days and Forty Nights     
The words to the first stanza of the hymn Forty Days and Forty Nights       
is a perfect summary of the Gospel account of Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew Chapter 4 Verses 1-11.

[CyrilSebastian]

In the hymn Forty Days and Forty Nights is the line Tempted, and yet undefiled.     
Please define.

[Benedict]

In the hymn Forty Days and Forty Nights is the line Tempted, and yet undefiled.     
Please define.

Jesus was tempted by satan but did not consent and thus His soul was undefiled by sin. Jesus teaches us that temptations can be overcome by the power of the Word of God and by obedience to the Holy Spirit.

[CyrilSebastian]

The practice of distribution of ashes to all members of the community is mentioned in official documents of 1091.

[eschator83]

I pray that you all have been blessed on this first Sunday of Lent, especially Speramus, and also welcome back, I pray your father is comfortable and content.  On Ash Wednesday, I restarted for the third time this year my efforts with the Divine Office, sometimes it seems Screwtape's uncle is trying to guide me.  I hope you are all much more successful.

[CyrilSebastian]

How did the Stations of the Cross begin?   
 
 

[eschator83]

Great question, fun to search.  Sadly, there are a lot of instances of the term 'probably' in many texts, stemming at first from the dreadful destruction of Jerusalem, and terrible persecution.  Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem was encouraged by Emperor Constantine's building of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in 335.  An early French pilgrim, Egeria, wrote of the local bishop leading a group of about 200 from Gethsemane into Jerusalem on Holy Thursday night.  As Jerusalem was rebuilt, it gradually became more feasible to locate the sites of specific stations along a route that soon was referred to as the Via Dolorosa.  Soon interest developed to duplicate holy sites in Europe, one of the first was a series of connected chapels in Bologna by Bishop St Petronius.  An ancient tradition says our Holy Mother herself walked the route almost every day.
Conquest of Jerusalem and most of the region by Muslims c700 increased interest in Europe about the Way of the Cross, and the first known reference to "stations" is attributed to an English pilgrim in 1462.  St Leonard of Port Maurice became known as Preacher of the Way of the Cross for implementing 572 stations from 1731-1751.  I found lots more that I think is of interest, but it just dawned on me to try a search to see what's already posted here.

[eschator83]

I found quite a few good references to the Stations of the Cross, but no history, so here comes a bit more.
In 1342 the Franciscans were given custody of Christian sites in Jerusalem, which improved security and also development/restoration.
1686- Pope Innocent XI authorized Franciscans to install Stations in all their Churches.
1726- Pope Benedict XIII approved Stations for all Christians (private display).
1731- Pope Clement XII approved Stations for all parishes, and set the number of Stations at 14, some locations were reported to have as many as 37.
Thanks again for your great motivation.