Paths into Lent

Lent is a season that lasts 40 days in western churches. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. This year Lent starts on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 and concludes on Saturday, April 4, 2026.

Lent is a time to prepare for the celebration of Jesus's resurrection at Easter. Christians have observed this season in a variety of ways throughout church history, including praying, reading scripture, fasting, taking on a spiritual practice, giving to others, and preparing candidates for baptism at Easter. At the heart of Lent, though, is an invitation to draw closer to God, mend relationships, embrace and seek liberation from oppression, and to care for our neighbors (see Isaiah 58:6–12, one of the lectionary readings for Ash Wednesday).

In Black Liturgies, Cole Arthur Riley says of Lent: "Despite prevalent teachings, the question of this sacred season is not, What food are you giving up for Lent? It is, What practice of solidarity with the suffering are you choosing? Or, What needs do you need met this Lent? We honor the complexity of hunger and desire, and we find ourselves liberated into a season not rooted in scarcity, but in justice, healing, and the welfare of those who have long awaited their portion" (250).

What I love about Riley's perspective on Lent is how she lifts up both solidarity with others and caring for oneself, particularly for those whose needs are ignored, devalued, or outright denied in an unjust society. Both practices bring liberation, as she points out, which is central to Easter. Both are needed.

And I think both can offer empowering paths into Lent. Solidarity reminds us that we are not alone, even when an unjust society tries to tell us otherwise. The question of what we need reminds us that we are vulnerable, embodied human persons from an affirming place, turning us toward our needs as part of God's good creation and worthy of attention and care.

If, like me, you're wondering how to approach Lent this year, perhaps one of Riley's questions might be a fruitful place to start:

• What practice of solidarity with the suffering are you choosing?

• What needs do you need met this Lent?

Jodi Belcher