Need - Don't Need

Christmas is celebrated by a fixed calendar date, while Easter is a movable feast and observed by calculating the date from a lunar calendar, using the first full moon after the spring equinox. The gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on the Day of Preparation, meaning the Friday before the Sabbath. The Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday, so this would explain the haste in which the events around Jesus’ crucifixion had taken place just after he had celebrated the Passover with his friends. 

Calendars and Calculations

According to the Law of Moses which begins with the Ten Commandments, the Passover is celebrated on Nisan 14 of the Hebrew Year. The Hebrew calendar follows a lunisolar calendar, which functions in harmony with the sun and moon cycles. Using these calculations, the date for Easter is determined. Easter in 2022 will be on Sunday, April 17th. Let’s count back 46 days and we arrive at the date for Ash Wednesday, March 2nd, which begins our 40 days (Sundays are days for celebrating) of prayer and fasting. 

Homework

The Season of Lent is a traditional time of fasting and prayer and the journey to our inner self, reflecting on our outward behavior and actions toward others and the world. Fasting is not only about giving up sweets and alcohol. It is about giving up the “luxuries” of our daily lifestyle and returning to a humble, simple way of life. It begins by not spending money on things that we don’t need and it ends by being grateful and satisfied for what we have.