The preferred way to implement menus in SugarCube 2 is to add the following code to your javascript section:

/* Trigger the following code at the start of navigation to a new passage. */
$(document).on(":passagestart", function (event) {
    /* Make sure the current passage doesn't have a "noreturn" tag. */
    if (!tags().includes("noreturn")) {
        /* If it doesn't, then set $return to the current passage name. */
        State.variables.return = passage();
    }
});

And then, tag any menu passages (however deeply nested they may be) with 'noreturn', adding the following link to those menu passages:

<<link "Return" $return>><</link>>

Purpose To consider whether ambition or humility is the truest signpost to God

Assessed properly, humility is the abandonment of rose-colored self-evaluations.

Jesus did not tell parables to amuse, distract, or even educate his hearers. Usually, although not exclusively, about what matters to God (and why), the stories were meant to change how his hearers lived.

Matthew 5:5 5Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

Luke 18:9-14 9Jesus told this parable to certain people who had convinced themselves that they were righteous and who looked on everyone else with disgust: 10“Two people went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself with these words, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like everyone else—crooks, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of everything I receive.’ 13But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes to look toward heaven. Rather, he struck his chest and said, ‘God, show mercy to me, a sinner.’ 14I tell you, this person went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.”

Key Verse: “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

Sometimes Jesus told parables that were full of grace. Sometimes they were full of judgment. Sometimes we’re not sure how to understand them. Yet the parable for this lesson seems so straightforward at first. We’re not to compare ourselves favorably to others, especially if that leads us to belittle others. Instead, we are to act humbly, not trust in our own goodness, and depend on God’s mercy.

Besides God, there are two characters in this parable. One is an obvious good guy (a Pharisee); the other is an obvious bad guy (a tax collector). There was little to like about tax collectors. They had bought so deeply into the Roman political system that they were universally despised by Jews.

The Pharisees, however, were almost universally respected. True, some of Jesus’ harshest criticisms were directed at them, but these men were dependable, learned, and religiously devout. After the Holy City was destroyed and the priesthood collapsed, it was the Pharisees who reconstructed the Jewish faith into the Judaism we know today. They were good guys. If you believe the Pharisees were pious frauds, it’s time to let go of the stereotype. It is unfair and patently untrue.

Although our piety probably does not qualify us to be named in the same breath as devout Pharisees, some of us are likely pleased with our level of church involvement. We worship. We pray. We listen to instruction. When we head home, we’re none the worse for wear but perhaps none the better for the time spent in God’s presence. And that’s the tragedy of the Pharisee in Jesus’ story! What could be more tragic than heading home from an encounter with God unblessed and unchanged?

There is another way in which we may be similar to the Pharisee. Have we ever said of a person or a situation, “There, but for the grace of God, go I?” We’re expressing our gratitude that we took the paths we did. But if we then take credit for the choices, we may begin looking down on people (who didn’t get the same breaks we did) as beneath us and not as good as us.

We may want to interject that there is nothing immoral about this. Perhaps. But here’s the tragedy Jesus was zeroing in on: What can God offer a people who are convinced they can look after them-elves, who are not convinced God has anything to offer us we need? The tragedy is that we can enter God’s presence but remain unchanged, maybe even grow resentful.

The other character in Jesus’ parable is not a wholesome guy. His life has been full of bad choices and missed opportunities. The only thing he has going for him is that he knows this. Like the tax collector, some of us are weathering difficult times. In the words of the confession, “We have not loved [God] with our whole heart. We have failed to be obedient. We have not done [God’s] will, we have broken [God’s] law, we have rebelled against [God’s] love, we have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy.” All we can hope is that God will be merciful to us.

Of course, the gospel has nothing to do with what we accomplish but everything to do with what God offers. When the tax collector spoke to God a snippet of a psalm (“God, be merciful to me, a sinner”), he likely had no idea he was reciting the words of King David in Psalm 51.

He may not even have known that what he needed was grace. He only knew his need was greater than he could bear. Sick of being sick, he threw himself on God’s mercy.

If that describes us, listen to a word of gospel that is as life-giving today as when it was first spoken! Said Jesus, “This man went home justified before God.” The bad man received what the good man didn’t even have the good sense to ask for.

It’s not that God gives good things only to the haggard and the hurting. It’s that the haggard and hurting are often the only people who think God has something to offer that might benefit them.

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

Matthew 5:5, the third of eight beatitudes Jesus pronounced on God’s people in the Sermon on the Mount, declares that humble people are blessed because they will “inherit the earth.” The Gospel parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector, at prayer in the Temple in Jerusalem, appears only in the Gospel of Luke. It illustrates not only that God is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34, KJV) but also that Mary’s declarations regarding God’s take on greatness and humility (Luke 1:52-53) are incisive comments on God’s way in our world.

The Gospel text divides into five brief parts. In Part 1 (Luke 18:9), Luke introduces a parable Jesus told that addresses the linkage between our actions and God’s bestowal of favor. In Part 2 (verse 10), Jesus names two characters depicted in the parable: a Pharisee and a tax collector. Part 3 (verses 11-12) recounts the Pharisee’s prayer to God. Part 4 (verse 13) reports the quite different prayer of the tax collector. Part 5 (verse 14) includes a surprising divine verdict on the two persons as well as the concluding judgment that hearers/readers are intended to make.

Matthew 5:5. Jesus’ first two beatitudes are linked directly to Isaiah 61:1-2. This third beatitude is similarly linked to Psalm 37:11...

"But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace"

...as well as its immediate echoes in Psalm 37:22, 34...

Psalm 37:22 "For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be eliminated".

Psalm 37:34 "Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off".

It should not surprise us that Jesus, who said that he had no interest in “[doing] away with the Law and the Prophets” but intended to “fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17), was steeped in the words of Holy Scripture.

“Humble” is a helpful translation that avoids the largely negative feelings associated with the word “meek” (KJV, NRSV, NIV). In a culture in which it is considered normative to be ambitious and self-assertive, the almost visceral reaction to and largely negative assessment of Charles Wesley’s hymn’s depiction of “gentle Jesus, meek and mild”1 unfortunately says more about the human qualities we value than those valued by Jesus.

It is worth recalling that Jesus said of himself that he was “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29, KJV), “gentle and humble” (NASB, NRSV, TEV).

And it was said of Moses that he was “very meek” (Numbers 12:3, KJV), “very humble” (NASB, NRSV, NIV), “a quietly humble man, more so than anyone living on Earth” (The Message). Neither man was considered by his peers to be arrogant, boisterous, or proud. Exercising humility or displaying meekness is regularly asserted by many to be an open invitation to be treated by others as a doormat, someone who can be walked over easily.

However, given Moses’ willingness to confront Pharaoh and the Egyptian people repeatedly (Exodus 5–11.) and even to argue with God (Exodus 32:9-14; 33:12-16; Numbers 14:1-20), the assertion is difficult to defend. The same is true of Jesus, who neither grew hesitant nor expressed fear when in the presence of prominent Jewish officials (John 18:19-23), detachments of soldiers (John 18:3-8), or appointed Roman officials (John 18:33-37).

Assessed properly, humility is the abandonment of rose-colored self-evaluations. It is the result of an accurate, “true estimate of ourselves.” 2 The meek are those who know that they “stand empty-handed before God in total dependence upon him.”3 Since God “shows favor to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34; quoted in James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5), that is not a bad situation to be in.

Proverbs 3:34 - "The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble."

“[Inheriting] the earth” is an oft-named divine promise in the Old Testament (for example, Psalm 25:13; Isaiah 57:13) first spoken to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-20; 17:8). Although it referred originally and specifically to the geographical land of Canaan/Israel, by extension it pointed to the certainty of God fulfilling God’s promises.

As Psalm 37:11 made clear, the humble will most assuredly “enjoy peace and prosperity” (NIV). Shalom shall be theirs.

With these thoughts in mind, we are ready to think about Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18 as an apt illustration of this beatitude.

Luke 18:9. As was true of most of Jesus’ parables, this story (one of the last that he told) had a particular audience in mind. In the Gospel of Luke, only the parables of the talents (Luke 19:12-27) and the tenants (20:9-16) remained. While some had almost immediately transparent meanings, they were not simple tales told so that even children could understand them. Often, the stories left (and still leave) hearers deeply puzzled, requiring them to ponder the tales at length if they want to understand them.

Readers must be careful not to equate “certain people” with the Pharisees. Identifying the “bad guy” in the story with persons whom we believe we are not is a self-serving attempt to distance ourselves from the story’s harsh conclusion.

Indeed, the rest of the verse carefully clarifies that the “certain people” are those who “[convincee] themselves that they [are] righteous and who [look] on everyone else with disgust.”

Since classifying people as good or bad, right or wrong, or wise or foolish is something that almost every single one of us does, it is critically important to pay close attention to the two ways Jesus described these “certain people.”

(1) They were “convinced” that they “were righteous.” That is, they believed that they were thinking the only correct—and thus approvable— way to think about the issue(s) in question. (2) Because they (alone) were thinking rightly, anyone thinking or acting differently was clearly wrong and could therefore be “looked on . . . with disgust,” regarded “with contempt” (NASB, NRSV), “scorned” (NLT), “despised” (KJV, RSV, TEV), or “looked down on” (NIV).

In telling this story, Jesus was not suggesting that there aren’t right and wrong ways to think or act. Nor was he declaring that right and wrong, or good actions and bad actions, are beyond our ability to determine. Nor was he suggesting that it is necessarily wrong to have specific beliefs or to make particular judgments. Nor was he declaring that any belief or judgment should be tolerated as equally admissible as any other. His very telling of the story was an attempt to correct something that he considered wrong and to advocate something that he considered right.

No matter how right we may convince ourselves we are on a political, social, or religious issue, being right never gives us permission to despise those who disagree with us or treat them with contempt. As Cyril of Alexandria (376–444) said long ago, “No one who is in good health ridicules one who is sick for being laid up or bedridden.”

Verse 10. “Two people went up to the Temple to pray.” While there were scores of synagogues in Galilee, Judea, and in other regions throughout the Roman Empire, there was only one Temple, which was located in Jerusalem. Situated on a 35-acre mount that had been leveled by construction workers approved by King Herod, the Temple complex was enclosed by walls that towered 100 feet above the streets of Jerusalem. Thus, persons literally “went up” to the Temple.

Described by the prophet Isaiah as “a house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7), the Temple complex was open for public prayers twice daily, at 9 am (Acts 2:15) and 3 pm (Acts 3:1). Of course, persons could pray privately at the Temple at any time.

“Pharisees” were Jewish laypersons who took God’s call to live holy lives so seriously that they declared that priestly standards of conduct were applicable for all people. Although the numbers of persons who committed themselves to a strict Pharisaic way of life remained small (probably never more than five percent 30 Adult Bible Studies Teacher of the Jewish populace), by the time of Jesus the religious renewal movement had become a political force in Judea and Galilee that had to be reckoned with.

While some New Testament critiques of some of the Pharisees encourage some Christians today to disparage all Pharisees as “hypocrites,” the power of this parable’s conclusion (Luke 18:14) to surprise hearers/readers is severely compromised if the Pharisee in the story is considered at the outset to be a villain rather than a holy man.

A tax collector was a Jew in the employ of Roman overseers responsible for collecting official (and unofficial) taxes, tolls, duties, customs, and other fees from the Jewish populace. Because these agents obtained their salary by overcharging persons however much they believed they could reasonably collect—a standard practice granted and approved by the overseers—tax collectors were generally disapproved of by Jews as traitors of the Jewish people. Just as first-century Jews would have believed that Pharisees were generally honorable and pious, so they would have believed that tax collectors were dishonorable thieves, not heroes.

Verse 11. Adopting the usual posture for prayer, the Pharisee “stood.” His prayer began appropriately as well, with thanksgivings to God. However, instead of thanking God for what God had done––not making the Pharisee a Gentile or a slave, for instance—he spoke of the things he had not done. He was not guilty of breaking any of the Mosaic laws; he didn’t steal, give false testimony, or commit adultery. Nor, he added, espying in the distance a traitorous figure, was he like “this tax collector,” extorting questionable tolls from his fellow Jews.

Verse 12. In addition, his piety had advanced to the point that he no longer fasted only one day a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) or even one day a week; he fasted “twice a week,” probably on Mondays and Thursdays, the days on which Moses was said to have ascended Mount Sinai to meet with God and to have descended the holy mountain with the Ten Commandments in hand. And his tithing practice was equally well-developed; he paid a tithe on everything. To offer a contemporary parallel, he didn’t just tithe his net; he tithed his gross. Before turning our attention to the tax collector, it’s important to acknowledge that nothing mentioned by the Pharisee would have been considered a bad thing—then or now. What church today would not be thrilled to have a member who tithed his gross income, was a regular practitioner of private piety, could honestly say that he kept the Ten Commandments fully intact, and did not engage in shady, traitorous deeds of any kind?

Indeed, if we’re looking for something to slight, about the only thing we can say concerning the man is that he has drawn our attention to the good deeds he does, as well as to his successful avoidance of bad deeds. That, and perhaps this: “Proper thanks to God for one’s lot in life never involves condescension toward others.”

Verse 13. As noted by the Pharisee, there was also present at that time of public prayer a “tax collector.” One gets the sense that he felt uncomfortable and rather ill at ease in the Temple complex, for he “stood [apart from others,] at a distance.” Furthermore, as he spoke privately to God, he couldn’t quite bring himself to lift his eyes heavenward (as Jews then regularly did and as we today tend to do, too). The picture Jesus painted of the man was that he was distraught in spirit, unsure if he even should be speaking to God. He was, after all, not a good man. He was a tax collector. So, keeping his eyes averted, perhaps with a deeply furrowed brow, he repeatedly “struck his chest” in anguish (Luke 23:48), much as a priest today might do during the worship services of Lent and Holy Week. The act is a visual acknowledgement of his unholy status.

Knowing that there was nothing to which he could draw God’s attention to commend himself to God, all he could do was be honest and throw himself on the mercy of the strict judge before whom he stood. “God, show mercy to me, a sinner.”

Verse 14. Jesus concluded his story with a shocking, even breathtaking declaration. The tax collector, not the Pharisee, “went . . . home justified.” The conclusion is so shocking that it forces us to reread the parable immediately; surely, we must have missed or misread something.

On second (or third) reading, many readers decide that the Pharisee’s “problem” was that he praised his own goodness rather than thanking God for helping him to act rightly. That may be, although it is quite possible to read verse 13 as his list of the things he does—he fasts, he tithes—to express his gratitude to God There is, however, a simpler reason as to why the tax collector “went . . . home justified” and the Pharisee did not. It’s not that God refused to offer mercy to the Pharisee because of something the man did or did not do. For whatever reason, the Pharisee never asked for mercy. Not having asked for it, he didn’t receive it. The tax collector, on the other hand, aware of his need, asked for mercy and received it. Jesus’ concluding comment, a repetition of Luke 14:11, reinforces the point.

html { font: 100% Georgia,serif; color: #000; } tw-story { background-color: white; color: #808080; font-family: "Tahoma" font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.5em; }

#text_centered {
text-align: center;
}

tw-sidebar {
    display: none;
}

tw-passage a {
    color: #4169E1;
    font-weight: 700;
    text-decoration: none;
}
tw-passage a:hover {
    color: #00bfff;
}

Well, I've learned an important lesson regarding menuing in Harlowe. Don't set variables inside menu passages. I've also found some resources online including Tweego templates, SugarCube templates, etc.

I've also developed some interest in learning SugarCube, but I'm not entirely sure I have the programming chops for it.

I'm spending some time looking over [this][1] often-cited introductory material on Twine.

In the current story I'm writing, I've been able to figure out how to advance the story both by clicking on links (the hallmark of Twine) and by just clicking on or tapping the screen.

Here is the Save/Load code I'm currently using:

<div id="text_centered"><small> 
    {(link-repeat:'[Save]<saverepeat|')[
        (if: (save-game:"GameSlot1"))[
            (replace: ?saverepeat)[SAVE AGAIN!]
            (dialog: "#### Save Successful!")
        ]
        (if: not (save-game:"GameSlot1"))[
            (replace: ?saverepeat)[Save... Again?]
            (dialog: "### Save Failed...", "Bummer...")
        ]
    ]
    (link-repeat:'Load')[
        (if: (savedgames:) contains "GameSlot1") [
            (dialog: "### Loaded Save", "Yay!")
            (load-game:"GameSlot1")      
    ]
  (else:)[
    (dialog: "### No Savefile!", "Ah...")
  ]
]}
</small></div>

In Tiny Dungeons 2e, the chance of Success when rolling with advantage ( roll all three d6) is 19/27, or ~70%.

Under normal circumstances, characters only get to roll 2d6, needing at least a single result of 5 or 6 to indicate a Success. The chances of this are 5/9, or ~56%.

Finally, the chance of Success when rolling with Disadvantage (only a single d6 must come up '5' or '6') is 1/3, or ~33%.

Chances of Success with:

Condition	Chance in %
Normal	56%
Disadvantage	33%
Advantage	70%

Why a local (offline) blog / website? So that I can be completely uncensored in my posts, and so that I can document personal or private things I don't want on the Interwebz. But also, so that (hopefully many years from now) I can leave the local blog as a curiosity piece, long-term diary, and window into my psyche, for my surviving family.

I have figured out how to use Tweego not only to produce Twine HTML stories, but also to produce proofing HTML in both the Illume (by Michael McCollum) and Paperthin formats.

I've also archived a copy of the Illume proofing format for Twine here on my Microsoft Onedrive account, and here on my OpenDrive account. Christy Tucker has an article on how to use this format at this page on her website.

Paperthin, another proofing format (and more austere than Illume) can be found on the author's Github, or here on my Onedrive, or here on my OpenDrive. Here is a sample of Illume's output.

Dotgraph is a proofing format with nice colored-nodes showing the arrangement of your twine passages. It can be downloaded here, or here, or here.

To add DeMarco's DotScap proofing format to Twine 2, we'd use https://mcdemarco.net/tools/scree/dotscap/format.js

Chapel's poof proofing format can be downloaded here, or here.

To add the PrePub format to the desktop version of Twine, we'd use this link to the format. PrePub is able to flatten simple twines to markdown in preparation for converting them to ePub format via Pandoc.

We would produce the markdown file via Twine or Tweego, and then convert to ePub in Pandoc like so:

pandoc -o my-story.epub prepub123456789.md --epub-chapter-level=2 --toc-depth=1 --css=prepub.css

I have archived a functional storyformats folder from Tweego here, here, and here.

Here are samples of the Illume, Paperthin, and Poof proofing formats.

You can use this installer to install Tweego 2 on Windows (or here on my Onedrive). There's another copy of the installer here. For my Tweego installation, I chose to put it close to the root of my main drive:

Notice the yellow-highlighted storyformats subfolder shown in the above screenshot.

Ash Wednesday March 05, 2025 Lent - Ash Wed. till April 17, 2025 Easter Sunday - April 20, 2025

The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as the cornerstone of the Christian faith, symbolizing victory over sin and death. Several verses throughout the Bible illuminate the significance of this miraculous event, offering believers hope, inspiration, and assurance. Here are five powerful Bible verses that capture the essence of Christ’s resurrection:

1. Matthew 28:6: “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

This verse from the Gospel of Matthew encapsulates the joyous proclamation of the angel at Jesus’ empty tomb. It affirms the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to rise from the dead, confirming His divine identity and the truth of His teachings.

2. 1 Corinthians 15:20: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

In his letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the centrality of Christ’s resurrection to the Christian faith. He presents Jesus as the “firstfruits” of the resurrection, paving the way for believers to experience eternal life through Him.

3. John 11:25-26: “Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the Life: He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?'”

These profound words spoken by Jesus to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, convey His authority over death and His promise of eternal life to those who place their faith in Him. They offer comfort and assurance to believers facing the reality of mortality.

4. Romans 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

In his letter to the Romans, Paul draws a parallel between the believer’s baptism and the resurrection of Christ. Through baptism, believers symbolically participate in Christ’s death and resurrection, experiencing spiritual rebirth and a transformed life in Him.

5. Acts 2:24: “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

This verse, spoken by the Apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost, highlights the divine power behind Christ’s resurrection. It underscores the triumph of life over death and the fulfillment of God’s plan for redemption through His Son.

These five Bible verses offer a glimpse into the profound significance of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, inspiring believers to embrace the hope, assurance, and new life found in Him. As Christians around the world celebrate this foundational truth, may these verses serve as a reminder of the transformative power of Christ’s victory over the grave.

Ask aloud, "What is lint?" Wait for the expected answer:

a 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that many Christians observe in preparation for Easter.

Say, "No, no. I'm asking about "lint"! Hold up index card with L I N T in big letters. Give the definition:

a soft fleecy material made from linen usually by scraping. b. : fuzz consisting especially of fine ravelings and short fibers of yarn and fabric.

What is lint good for? Wait for someone to ask, "Which one, L I N T or L E N T?"

Things lint is good for:

• Use lint to soak up spills instead of paper towels
• Use a lint roller to clean up crumbs and other debris from car seats
• Use a lint roller to clean up glitter from your workspace or floor
• Use lint as a substitute for landscape fabric to prevent weeds
• Use lint as mulch for indoor and outdoor plants. It'll degrade into the soil
• As stuffing for stuffed animals, dog toys, throw pillows, or comforters
• Use lint to stuff gift boxes or packages.
• Use lint as a fire starter Use lint as an oil sponge
• Use lint as food for worms
• Use lint as bedding for small pets like hamsters, rats, or guinea pigs

I'll read that last one again: Use lint as bedding for small pets like hamsters, rats, or guinea pigs. Please tell me that none of you ever had a pet rat!

Well, now let's turn our attention back to the 'L' 'E' 'N' 'T' Lent.

Lent 2025 is the six weeks leading up to Easter. Okay, then, when is Easter? Easter is always held on a Sunday. Hence, the name Easter Sunday. Easter falls on a Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, but working out which Sunday exactly requires an astronomical calculation.

Last year, Easter fell on Sunday, March 31st for most Christians (catholics and protestants). But for orthodox churches such as those in Greece, it was on May 5th instead of March 31st.

This year, for protestants, Easter falls on April 20, 2025. And next year, Easter falls on Sunday, April 5th.

It turns out that the date of Easter is determined using a formula that combines elements of both lunar and solar calendars. Specifically, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox (approximately March 21). This method was established by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and is known as the "Computus".

It starts on Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2025) and either ends on Maundy Thursday (April 17, 2025) or Holy Saturday (April 19, 2025), depending on the denomination.

The Gregorian calendar, used by most of the Western world, calculates Easter differently from the Julian calendar, which is used by some Orthodox Christian churches. This difference in calendars results in variations in Easter dates between Western and Orthodox traditions.

Well, okay, that takes care of when Easter is, and isn't confusing whatsoever. So now let's talk about what Easter is. Who can give a definition?

Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary.

So, now let's come back to Lent: 'L' 'E' 'N' 'T'. The Christian season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter (not counting Sundays). In 2025, Ash Wednesday is March 5.

What do people do on Ash Wednesday? Many Christians attend church services on Ash Wednesday to receive ashes on their foreheads in the sign of the cross. Why? (wait for answers) ... Ashes are a symbol of penance in the Old Testament and in pagan antiquity.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting. In the sixth century, Christians who had committed grave faults were obliged to do public penance. On Ash Wednesday, they donned a hair shirt (which they wore for 40 days), and the local bishop blessed them and sprinkled them with ashes. Then, while others recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the holy place. They could not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter), when they received absolution.

Easter is based on the lunar cycles of the Jewish calendar. Because Easter is based on a lunar month (which is 29.5 days), the date of Easter can vary.

Easter is a “movable feast,” so it doesn’t happen on the same date from year to year. In the Gregorian calendar, it is always observed on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. But in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Easter can be observed anywhere between April 4th and May 8th.

What Is the Most Common Easter Date?

Over a 500-year period (from 1600 to 2099 AD), Easter will most often be celebrated on either March 31 or April 16.

What is the Most Unusual Easter Date? March 22nd.

As of today's date, Feb 9th 2025, there are 23 more days until Ash Wednesday, 24 days until the beginning of Lent, 66 days left until the end of Lent, and 69 days until Easter Sunday.

Lent is a 40-day period of reflection, repentance, and preparation for Easter. It's a time for Christians to remember Jesus's death, ask for forgiveness, and prepare to celebrate his resurrection. The 40 days of Lent are set aside to praise and worship the Lord; to read the Bible more, and to pray more. It should be a time of anticipation and reflection for Christians, as Resurrection Sunday is the most important day in all of history.