Lent—40 Days or More?

You have always learned that Lent commemorates the 40 days that Jesus spent praying in the desert before his public ministry. If, however, you actually count the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, you’ll realize there are actually 46 days! What? Yes, there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Because each Sunday of the year, however, is a grand celebration and commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus, we don’t count them in the 40 days of penance. There are six Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. So, by subtraction, we are left with 40 days.

Originally appeared in Knowing Our Catholic Faith

In the Bible, the number 40 is symbolic and represents a significant period of time during which an individual's faith is tested. What is Lent? It is a significant period of time during which our faith is tested. Another word for test is examination or assessment. During Lent, we assess where we are in terms of our commitment to the Lord.

Whenever we see the number 40 in the Bible, we are being alerted to symbolic significance. The Catholic Church does not adhere to a literal translation of the Bible but recognizes that the truth of the Bible is expressed in many forms, including figurative language. If not, it would be an incredible coincidence that everything during biblical times took either 40 days and nights or 40 years!