40
In Scripture, the number forty marks a time of trial, purification and spiritual preparation before a decisive intervention by God. The word "forty" appears about 150 times in the Bible, a sign of this period's importance. The Flood lasts forty days and forty nights (Gen. 7:12); the people of Israel wander in the wilderness for forty years (Num. 14:33); Moses remains on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights before receiving the tablets of the Law (Exod. 24:18); Elijah walks "forty days to the mountain of God" (1 Kings 19:8); and finally, Jesus likewise fasts for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness before beginning his ministry (Matt. 4:2). These accounts underpin the liturgical season of Lent (from the Latin quadragesima, "fortieth"), a forty-day period of prayer, fasting and sharing that precedes Easter for Christians. Forty days also separate Easter from the Ascension, as well as the birth of Jesus (Christmas) from his presentation at the Temple (Candlemas), in accordance with the law of Moses.
The number thus expresses a form of divine teaching: before the feast, the revelation or the mission, God leads humankind through a time of self-denial, so that the liturgical celebration becomes an inner rebirth rather than a mere rite.
