Lent

Lent (Latin: Quadragesima: Fortieth) is a solemn religious

observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins
on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later, 3 days
before Easter Sunday. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of
the believer for Easter through prayer, doingpenance, mortifying
the flesh, repentance of sins, almsgiving, and self-denial.[1]This
event is observed in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental
Orthodox,Lutheran, Methodist, and Catholic Churches.[2][3]
[4]
Some Anabaptist andevangelical churches also observe the
Lenten season.[5][6] Its institutional purpose is heightened in the
annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the tradition and events
of the New Testament beginning on Palm Sunday, further climaxing
on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, which ultimately culminates
in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
In Lent, many Christians commit to fasting, as well as giving up
certain luxuriesin order to replicate the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ's journey into the desert for 40 days.[7] Many Christians
also add a Lenten spiritual discipline, such as reading a daily
devotional or praying through a Lenten calendar, to draw
themselves near to God.[8][9] The Stations of the Cross, a
devotional commemoration ofChrist's carrying the Cross and of his
execution, are often observed. ManyRoman Catholic and
some Protestant churches remove flowers from their altars,
while crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate
religious symbols are often veiled in violet fabrics in solemn
observance of the event. Throughout Christendom, some adherents
mark the season with the traditional abstention from the
consumption of meat, most notably among Roman Catholics.[10]
Lent is traditionally described as lasting for 40 days, in
commemoration of the40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert,
according to the Gospels ofMatthew, Mark and Luke, before
beginning his public ministry, during which he endured temptation
by Satan.

3 O'Clock Prayer to the Divine Mercy

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls
and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.
O Fountain of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy,
envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water,
which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus
as a fountain of mercy for us,
I trust in You.
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy on us and on the whole world. (3 times)
JESUS, King of mercy, I trust in You!

Amen
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as Way
of Sorrowsor Via Crucis, refers to a series of images
depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and
accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitations of Via
Dolorosa in Jerusalem which is believed to be the actual path
Jesus walked to Mount Calvary. The object of the stations is to
help the Christians faithful to make a
spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of
Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the
stations can be found in many Western Christian churches,
including Anglican,[1] Lutheran,[2] Methodist,[3] and Roman
Catholic ones.
Commonly, a series of 14 images will be arranged in numbered
order along a path and the faithful travel from image to image,
in order, stopping at each station to say the selected prayers
and reflections. This will be done individually or in a
procession most commonly during Lent, especially on Good Friday,
in a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults that
Jesus endured during his passion.[4][5]
The style, form, and placement of the stations vary widely. The
typical stations are small plaques with reliefs or paintings
placed around a church nave. Modern minimalist stations can be
simple crosses with a numeral in the centre.[4][6]Occasionally the
faithful might say the stations of the cross without there being
any image, such as when the pope leads the stations of the cross
around the Colosseumin Rome on Good Friday.[7] The older stations
can be an outdoor series of chapels in a landscape, known as
a Calvary, and are sites of pilgrimage in their own right.
Examples include Sacred Mount Calvary in Italy, Kalwaria
Zebrzydowska in Poland, Via Crucis of Valinhos, Fátima, in
Portugal, Žemaičių Kalvarija in Lithuania.