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Penitent Lent and Joyous Easter 四旬斋与复活节

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Lent is the forty-day period of fasting and penitence leading up to joyous Easter. It actually lasts 46 days, but Sundays are excluded. During Lent, Christians focus on their relationship with God through prayer and try to cleanse themselves of sin. When it’s all through, they celebrate their renewed connection to God by getting together with loved ones for a great feast.

四旬斋是为期40天的斋戒及忏悔，就在欢欣鼓舞的复活节之前。四旬斋其实有46天，但周日被排除在外。守斋期间，基督徒透过祷告专注于自己与上帝的关系，并尝试洗净自身的罪。斋戒结束时，信徒与亲人聚会，享用大餐，庆祝与上帝新建立的关系。

Lent commences with Ash Wednesday, a day when priests draw a cross with ash on the foreheads of Christians. This is to remind them that human beings, according to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, were created from dust and to dust they shall return.

四旬斋第一天为「圣灰日」，这一天，神职人员会在基督徒额头以圣灰画上十字，藉此提醒信徒，根据《圣经》亚当与夏娃的故事，人既来自尘土，也将归于尘土。

Holy Week, the final week of Lent, pays homage to the last week of Jesus Christ’s life. It begins with Palm Sunday in commemoration of the day Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem. The Bible says that people flocked to him and laid palm leaves at his feet, believing he would liberate them from the Roman Empire.

圣周是四旬斋最后一周，追念耶稣在世的最后七天。圣枝主日为第一天，用来纪念耶稣进入圣城耶路撒冷。圣经记载，耶稣进入耶路撒冷当天，民众将棕榈树叶铺在耶稣脚边迎接祂，相信耶稣将拯救他们脱离罗马帝国的统治。

Holy Thursday is in remembrance of the Last Supper, a dinner between Jesus and his 12 disciples. The following day, Good Friday, is when Jesus was arrested, crucified and buries.

圣周星期四是纪念耶稣与12位门徒共进最后晚餐。隔天为耶稣受难日，这一天，耶稣被捕，被钉上十字架，然后下葬。

The season of Lent ends with Easter Sunday, which celebrates the rebirth of Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected on this day. By rising from the dead, he delivered all people from their sins so that they could have rich and full lives.

四旬斋结束于庆祝耶稣重生的复活节。基督徒相信耶稣在这一天复活，藉由死后复活，耶稣为所有人赎罪，好让他们获得丰富、完整的生命。

Today, most people equate Easter with “Easter eggs” – brightly painted boiled eggs. The eggs are symbolic of birth and are fun to decorate. A common activity for children is an Easter egg hunt, in which an adult hides a lot of eggs and the children have to find them. The one who finds the most eggs wins. Easter is a day when families come together to cherish and celebrate the joy of life.

今日，大多数人一听到复活节，便会想到复活节彩蛋，也就是涂上鲜艳颜料的水煮蛋。这些蛋象征新生，装饰起来很好玩。小朋友在当天常会玩找彩蛋的游戏。大人会藏许多彩蛋，让小朋友寻找，找到最多彩蛋者便获胜。在复活节，家人聚在一起，珍惜、庆祝生命的喜悦。

−by Amy Gittelson

Vocabulary

单词发音

lead up to 作为...的准备(或先导)  prepare gradually for

commence [kəˋmɛns] v. 开始[（+with）]

pay homage to 向...表示敬意  to openly honor or worship someone or something

commemoration [kə͵mɛməˋreʃən] n. 纪念

liberate [ˋlɪbə͵ret] v. 解放，使获自由[（+from）]

deliver [dɪˋlɪvɚ] v. 解救；解脱；释放[（+from）]

equate [ɪˋkwet] with 把（一事物）和（另一事物）等同看待

symbolic [sɪmˋbɑlɪk] adj. 象征的，象征性的；作为象征的[（+of）]

More Information

单词发音

penitent [ˋpɛnətənt] adj. 悔过的；忏悔的

Lent [lɛnt] n.（基督教）四旬斋，大斋期（指复活节前的四十天）

Easter [ˋistɚ] n.（基督教）复活节

fasting [ˋfæstɪŋ] n. 禁食

penitence [ˋpɛnətəns] n. 忏悔；赎罪

exclude [ɪkˋsklud] v. 不包括; 把…排除在外

cleanse [klɛnz] v. 使纯净，净化

through [θru] prep. 完成；（做）完

biblical [ˋbɪblɪk!] adj.《圣经》的；《圣经》中的

Jerusalem [dʒəˋrusələm] n. 耶路撒冷

disciple [dɪˋsaɪp!] n. 信徒，门徒

crucify [ˋkrusə͵faɪ] v. 把……的手脚钉在十字架上处死

resurrect [͵rɛzəˋrɛkt] v. 使复活

Reading Questions

1.   Why do priests draw a cross on Christian’s foreheads on Ash Wednesday?

A.  To remind Christians of their origins.

B.  To warn Christians against committing sins.

C.  To cause Christians to think of the biblical story of Adam and Eve.

D.  To warn Christians about the dangers of dust.

2.   Which of the following is NOT true about Lent?

A.  Palm Sunday is the day remembered as Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem.

B.  Sundays are not counted toward the total number of days in Lent.

C.  Good Friday marks Jesus’ last dinner before his death.

D.  Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

3.   What is the main purpose of the article?

A.  To give information about how to cleanse our sins.

B.  To provide insight into a Christian season.

C.  To discuss how people enjoy a religious festival.

D.  To compare the rituals of different religious sects.

Answer