The forty week-days, NOT INCLUDING THE SUNDAYS, preceeding Easter Sunday, were simply placed on the church calendar as "the legthening days."  During the week-days of the Lenten Season the emphasis historically has been to encourage reclection on the cost of our salvation and the redeeming love of God.  Lent is not so much about "giving up things," but "giving in" to the call of God upon our lives.

There are no Sundays OF Lent.  There are six (6) Sundays IN Lent.  Five are designated simply by numbers 1 through 5,  The sixth is called Palm/Passion Sunday.

I like the term Passion Sunday far more than Palm Sunday.  The highway into Jerusalem WAS lined with people.  They were expexting something far different from what Jesus was entering the city to deliver.  Even the inner circle of His disciples had "blown off" the idea of His being put to death.  Few people who shouted Hosanna on Palm/Passion Sunday followed the procession to where Jesus knew it was going to end - on a hill called Calvary.  The same voices that shouted "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" also joined the chorus at Pilate's Court, crying "Crucify, Crucify."  Bitterly, the disappointed joined the defiant.  Some even raised their voices as He hung on the cross, His suffering beyond imagination, and His earthly life ebbing away,"Save yourself!  If you're the Son of God, come down from the cross... Let Him come down now and we'll believe in Him."

The triumphal entry did not end in visible triumph, but Jesus always knows more than we do.  In the Gospel Story, the crucifixion and the resurrection is a singular event.  For three days one time it seemed as if evil was triumphant, but when Jesus cried "It is finished," it was finished!  God is full of surprises!  Easter came.  Jesus arose from the dead, triumphant over both sin and death!

It is entirely fitting that the early church fathers did not include Sundays in the Lenten Season.  We certainly need to look back and consider the death of Jesus, but we must never, never forget that every Sunday is a celebration of our Lord's victory over death!

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