Lent. Traditionally a fast in anticipation of Easter, the practice of keeping Lent began in the second century, although then it lasted for just three days. By the time of the *Council of Nicaea in 325, it was determined to be a forty-day fast in honor of Christ’s forty days in the wilderness. During this six-week period, just one simple meal was eaten, although the fast was broken on Sundays. From the ninth century on, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, Lent has become progressively more relaxed. As well as a time of fasting, Lent is a time of increased spiritual exercises and attention to the needs of the poor.
