Why does the period of fasting and prayer have to last 40 days?

Every year the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church celebrates the Lent with 40 days of prayer and fasting before the great celebration of the Easter. This number is very symbolic and has deep links with multiple biblical events.

The first mention of 40 is found in the book of Genesis. God tells Noah: «Because in seven days I will make it rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights; I will exterminate from the earth every being that I have made ». (Genesis 7: 4). This event connects the number 40 with purification and renewal, a time when the earth was washed and made new.

In Numbers we see 40 again, this time as a type of penance and punishment imposed on the people of Israel for disobeying God. They had to wander the wilderness for 40 years for a new generation to inherit the Promised Land.

In the book of Jonah, the prophet proclaims to Nineveh: «Another forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed». 5 The citizens of Nineveh believed in God and banned a fast, clothed the sack, from the greatest to the smallest ”(Jonah 3: 4). This once again links the number to spiritual renewal and conversion of the heart.

Il prophet Elijah, before meeting God on Mount Horeb, he traveled for forty days: “He got up, ate and drank. With the strength given to him by that food, he walked for forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb ”. (1 Kings 19: 8). This connects 40 to a time of spiritual preparation, a time in which the soul is led to a place where it can hear the voice of God.

Finally, before embarking on his public ministry, Jesus “He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. " (Mt 4,1-2). In continuity with the past, Jesus begins to pray and fast for 40 days, fighting temptation and preparing to proclaim the Gospel to others.