The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-27
LENT OBSERVANCE
 IS DESCRIBED BY EPISCOPAL RECTOR

At this special season of the year, when
 the earth seems preparing for the new life of spring; when, as pr. Henry Ed monds says, "all feet are turning to- ward the temple" and when all hearts are making ready for the coming of the glad Eastertide, it is a privilege to un- derstand the significance of the Lenten days as given by Dr. Oscar de Wolf Randolph, rector of St. Marys Episcopal church, in the explanation that follows:
 Lent is a season of fasting, recog- nized by the Church of England, the Episcopal church, the Roman Catholic church, the Greek Catholic and other churches which endeavor to observe the usages of the early Christian church.
 ''The time of Lent, like the time of all movable feaSts or lasts in the calendar of the church year. depends upon the date of Easter. Easter day is always the first Sunday after the full moon which happens upon or next after March a, and if the full moon falls upon Sum day, Easter day is the Sunday after. For the purpose of this rule the full moon is not the real or astronomical full moon, but the fourteenth day of a lunar month reckoned according to an ancient compu- tation. Hence the easiest way to deter mine when Easter comes in any given year is to look in the tables in the front of the book of common prayer of the Protestant Episcopal church. or some similar tables. Here the date of Easter day is given for each year from l7S6 to 2013, both inclusive, @being the time or 12 cycles of the moon. It may come as early as March g or as late ps April 70.
 'tThe season of Lent begins on the forty-Sixth day before Easter, which IS DAled Ash Wednesday. The six Sundays >wlLniu .--- r-.2od are observed as feast days, leaving 40 days of fasting to DC kept as preparation Tor the Easter message of the resurrection of Christ from the grave The Lent of 40 days can be traced to a period very near that or tho apostles. That it's term of 40 days was settled at a very early period IS evl- dent from the writings of the bishops OF those times who refer us, in vindicatlon of it. to the example of Moses, Elias ana our Lord, all of whom lasted 40 days 1 From all this, then, we arrive at the con causion that though fasting is frequently alluded to in the Scriptures as Chris 1 tian duty, yet the set times for it are to be referred to the authority or the church. It may be here remarked that the name we apply to this season IS de- rived from the time of the year when IL occurs. The term IeUL III tiiO A9aAois A>>-- guage signifies spring, and as we use H. indicates merely the spring fast
 s'The pyactical observance of Lent calls for an honest effort to use the season III I such 2 way as to heighten our apprecia- ton of the truth of the Easter message 1 and to appropriate the beneflts or Christs death and resurrection to our selves and our community. The positive side of this ideal involves the attending of Ienten services where the thoughts are directed toward the service of Christ to mankind and the strength that we re- ceive to face the difficulties of life anu the sorrows of death through faith III His love for us and His victory over lne grave A natural outcome Of such con temptation should be the performance ol work for the good of our fellow man and the foregoing of such. forms of en- tertainment as are extravagant, 1riV- olnus ar modifying; the putting or outy aer1 -piuiness before selfish indulgence for SIX weeks at least. The idea or fast- ing may profitably be carried out Tn the dropping of some habit or indulgence which has a tendency to become. excess siye or injurious and the devoting or money thus saved to some worthy cause, such as the Easter offering Tor the church or a needy charity.
 "All Christian bodies hope for higher standard of living than their members arc willing to achieve If for perioo of six weeks each year all Christians were to make special effort 10 come up to a standard which they are un- v;,Iine to aim at or which they consider l impracticable for the whole year. the cumulative effect of such efforts should raise the character of the individual life from year to year. and the concerted ac- tion on the part of many should strensthen the religious life of the com munity. Do you make an honest ellore to cnvoperate with the members of your l church. in its efforts to bring about vptr4tual revival or awakening from time to timer"