The simple answer is we do not count Sundays, but why not? The answer takes us back to the earliest days of the Church. Christ's original disciples, who were Jewish, grew up with the idea that the Sabbath—the day of worship and of rest—was Saturday, the seventh day of the week, since the account of creation in Genesis says that God rested on the seventh day.
Christ rose from the dead, however, on Sunday, the first day of the week, and the early Christians, starting with the apostles (those original disciples!), saw Christ's Resurrection as a new creation, and so they transferred the day of rest and worship from Saturday to Sunday.
Since all Sundays—and not simply Easter Sunday—were days to celebrate Christ's Resurrection, Christians were forbidden to fast and do other forms of penance on those days. Therefore, when the Church expanded the period of fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter from a few days to 40 days (to mirror today’s Gospel reading), Sundays could not be included in the count.
Thus, in order for Lent to include 40 days on which fasting could occur, it had to be expanded to six full weeks (with six days of fasting in each week) plus four extra days—Ash Wednesday and the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday that follow it. Six times six is thirty-six, plus four equals forty. And that's how we arrive at the 40 days of Lent!
(adapted from “Why Sundays don’t count during Lent” by Scott Richert on Catholicism at About.com)
What Does The Bible Say?
“At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights…”
— Matthew 4:1own
Evangelizing Challenge This Week
Engage in a conversation with a non-Catholic friend or neighbor about Lent and what it means to them, how they observe it in any special way. Listen carefully and offer your own practices and experiences in a loving, accepting and non-threatening way.
The readings for this First Sunday of Lent present to us exactly what Lent should be about. In the Gospel from Matthew, reference is made to the time Jesus spent in the desert, “He fasted for forty days and nights.” Most of us are aware that Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, is 40 days in length, ending on Holy Thursday after the Mass of the Last Supper. We may also be aware that we are called to prayer, penance, repentance, fasting, almsgiving, and some elements of self-denial during this Lenten time. Today’s church keeps reminding us, nonetheless, that we need to do more than stop doing things. We also need to start doing things. That is where stewardship comes in, of course. The Gospel tells us that Jesus was “tempted” by the devil. Notably the word for “tempt” in Greek is the same as the word for “trial.”
Just as the Lord was put to trial by Satan, we, too, are put to trial every day. Our response has to be more than just saying “no” to those things which are not good for us. We also need to say “yes” to more good things — more practices which deepen our faith and bring us closer to God. That is what the 40 days of Lent are really about.
Lenten Apps
Truth & Life Dramatized Audio “46 Day Challenge” The developers of this great app have packaged all four Gospels into 46-day segments – about 2 chapters a day– so you can read all the Gospels through Lent. iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook. Free (so it’s a great way to try out the full version).
iStations ($1.99) Android and iOS. Traditional stations and the St. Alphonsus Liguori devotional text. For most people, that’s all they ask for. But you get more–There is an audio version imbedded. In that case, bring your ear buds if you’re in church.
Magnificat Lenten Companion 2014 The print version is sold out, but you can get an iOS app. This is the popular devotion presented in a day-by-day format. Includes daily liturgy, prayer, meditations, penance service, devotional prayers and much more. iOS, $0.99
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