The Part of Tens

Spiritually, I believe I can manifest many good things in my life. But right now, I’d settle for being able to manifest a cab.

In this part...

What do the Metric system, Agatha Christie’s little Indians, David Lettermen’s lists, and this part have in common? Why, they’re all based on “tens,” of course. In this part, I provide a variety of resources to help round out your understanding of Christianity. In doing so, I also give you some ideas on how to dive into the Christian faith even deeper. I start off by highlighting ten Christian holidays. You then explore ten Christians who are worth knowing about because of their leadership, contribution, and/or Christlike example. Next, you get a glimpse of ten key passages in the Bible to pay particular importance to. Finally, if you look like a deer in the headlights when you hear jargon like “born again,” “new creature in Christ,” or “prayer warrior,” then flip on over to Appendix A for a glossary of Christian lingo and find out what these buzzwords mean. And check out Appendix B if you’re interested in important dates that shaped the Christian Church.

Ten Christian Holy Days, Holidays, and Seasons

In This Chapter

Observing holy days

Celebrating traditional holidays

Reserving seasons for contemplation

Many in postmodern society downplay tradition. This change has rippled through some parts of the Church as well. However, tradition remains an important part of what the Christian faith is all about, because when the Church recognizes holy days, holidays, and seasons, it connects Christians of today with Christians throughout history. Special days and seasons also serve as annual reminders of key aspects of the Christian faith, be it Christ’s death and resurrection or a day of prayer to humble ourselves as a nation before God.

In this chapter, you discover more about ten major Christian holy days, holidays, and seasons. Some of these holy days that follow in calendar order commemorate actual events that transpired during the life of Christ, although others are special times of reflection and self-examination.

Lent

When: Begins 40 days before Easter

Observance: Self-examination and preparation for Easter

Lent was first observed in the fourth century as the 40-day period between Ash Wednesday (see the “Ashes to ashes” sidebar in this chapter) and Easter. Its focus was on self-examination and self-denial, and Christians used fasting (abstaining from eating food) in the early years as a visible demonstration of this process.

Over the centuries, Catholics have relaxed some of the strict fasting rules. Today, only Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all Fridays during Lent are considered fasting days. On these days, Catholics over the age of 14 are to refrain from eating meat. (Historically, this practice was meant to help unify people who could afford meat with poor people who couldn’t.) In addition, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, those between the ages of 18 and 59 are to eat only one full meal and two small meals and aren’t to eat between meals.

Orthodox Christians are far more rigorous in their observance of fasting during Lent, believing that regular fasting is a crucially important discipline for one’s spiritual growth. Meat, dairy products, and eggs (which historically were considered more luxury foods than ordinary breads) aren’t allowed, with some additional restrictions on certain days. They can only eat fish (which was historically considered less of a luxury than red meat) on the feasts of the Annunciation and Palm Sunday.

Some Protestant denominations observe Lent (such as Anglican and Episcopalian), but many Protestant churches attach less significance to the season of Lent than to the individual holy days leading up to Eater.

In addition to refraining from eating, Lent is often a time in which Christians give something pleasurable up (furthering the focus on self-denial), be it chocolate, meat, or – shudder the thought! – coffee.

Ashes to ashes

Back in the seventh century, Church leaders began the practice of marking foreheads with ashes to symbolize repentance and mortality on Ash Wednesday, referring to Genesis 3:19: “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Many churches don’t practice this tradition anymore, because it’s a man-made tradition with no biblical roots. However, some Catholic and Anglican churches today continue in this tradition during Ash Wednesday services.

Palm Sunday

When: Sunday before Easter

Observance: Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem

Biblical reference: Matthew 21:1-11

Christians observe Palm Sunday on the Sunday before Eater, celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The reason they call it Palm Sunday stems from the fact that when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, a large crowd of people in the city spread out palm branches on the ground before him as a sign of his kingship. Throughout Jesus’ three-year ministry, he downplayed his role as Messiah and sometimes even told people whom he healed not to say anything about the miracle to others. Palm Sunday is the one exception in which his followers loudly proclaimed his glory to all.

Today, Christians often celebrate Palm Sunday in a joyous, triumphant manner during worship services, emphasizing the glory of Jesus Christ. Some churches spread palm branches at the front of the sanctuary as a way to commemorate the event.