THEOLOGICAL CLUE

The church year combines the two seasons of Lent and Easter within a cycle, the Easter Cycle, which puts the observation of Lent, as well as Easter, in proper perspective. The church keeps the Lenten pilgrimage as a journey to the to and beyond the cross to the tomb of the risen Christ, and the annual celebration of the Feast of Feasts, Easter. When Lent began as the quadrigesima, this was quite clear, because Quadrigesima announced that there were now 40 days until Easter. The same thing was true when Quinquagesima, Sexagesima, and Septuagesima Sundays proclaimed 50, 60, and 70 days to Easter. It is rather obvious that there was some liturgical "overkill" in this countdown (70, 60, 50, 40 days until the Easter feast) and, as the "gesima" Sundays lost their impact, and th…