Christians have understood Lent practices in different ways throughout centuries. For example, the early Church practiced Lent through prayer, fasting, and charity. The first two practices have remained, but have shifted their purpose. The old believers joined the new believers, and those who needed repentance in praying, fasting, and doing charity works together to prepare them for their baptism or Easter. These public expressions of faith had a strong communal dimension. Rather than focusing on the mature Christian themselves, those expressions were practiced for the benefit of those who recently became Christians or who had repented from sin. Don’t get …