One of the most important seasons in the Christian liturgical calendar, Lent, begins today, March 5, 2025, with the commemoration of Ash Wednesday.
This 40-day season, excepting Sundays, is dedicated to penance, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, culminating in Easter on April 20.
Lent lasts 40 days, reflecting Jesus Christ’s fasting in the desert, a time of reflection, sacrifice, and spiritual preparation.
On Ash Wednesday, millions of Christians throughout the world attend church services to receive cross-shaped ashes on their foreheads.
The ashes, made from burnt palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, serve as a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for repentance.
The clergy often recite, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” emphasizing the themes of humility and reflection that define the Lenten season, according to Catholic.com reports.
Key Dates in Lent 2025 include Ash Wednesday: March 5, Palm Sunday: April, Maundy Thursday: April 17, Good Friday: April 18, and Easter Sunday: April 20.
The timing of Lent varies each year according to the lunar calendar.
Easter falls abnormally late in 2025, delaying Lent and its attendant observances compared to previous years.
This adjustment has not reduced Christians’ enthusiasm for the season’s fasting and prayer disciplines, according to Michigan Thumb.
Fasting during Lent usually entails abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and every Friday until Easter.
According to The Sun, many Christians choose to give up some luxuries or habits, such as sweets, social media, or other personal comforts, in order to demonstrate sacrifice and self-discipline.
In addition to fasting, prayer, and almsgiving—acts of charity toward those in need—are highlighted as essential activities for renewing one’s faith and dedication to God’s teachings.
Last year, at his Ash Wednesday homily at the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome, Pope Francis advised the faithful to use this time to disconnect from worldly distractions, particularly excessive use of social media, and focus on spiritual development.
“Life is not a performance,” the Pope stated, enjoining believers to seek quiet reflection and authenticity in their faith.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
