Fat Tuesdays Make Wide Wednesdays

Fat Tuesday. Faschnaut Day. Mardi Gras. Carnival. Whatever you want to call it, it's the day/days before what is known as Ash Wednesday. For the tamer crowd, you're looking at a day of doughnuts and indulgence. For those of a less conservative persuasion, you may use your imagination.

Though I am of the LDS faith and therefore do not "celebrate" Ash Wednesday or Lent, I do believe in the whole idea of the matter. In much of Christendom, Ash Wednesday signifies the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting and prayer meant to symbolize the 40 day fast that Christ underwent before His public ministry. On Ash Wednesday, ashes are placed on foreheads of worshippers. This and other rituals are to signify confession and repentance before God. Ash Wednesday is also a fast day, wherein the Catholic tradition, Catholics between 18 and 59 (health permitting) are not to have more than one meal, supplemented by up to two smaller meals not to equate one full meal. Abstinence of meat is also required. Some go above and beyond these guidelines and observe a strict bread and water fast or fast throughout the 40 days of Lent, which was the Catholic church's original requirement.

Ok...so how do I as a Mormon fit into this? First of all, I strongly believe in repentance. Secondly, I believe in prayer and fasting. But instead of doing it all at once, I (and others of my faith) repent unceasingly, because there is always something to repent of! As for fasting, we are asked to spend the first Sunday each month in prayer and fasting if we are able. Because my medication requires me to take it with food, I can not fast in the strictest sense of the word.

Moving on to Lent. Lent falls between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. It is marked by fasting, both from food and festivities, and by other forms of penance. There are also three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigor: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. These three were labeled "justice towards God," "justice towards self," and "justice towards neighbor" (respectively) in Wikipedia (where I got all of this information). I found that interesting. Anyway, these days the practice of giving up a vice or luxury for Lent is common, as is adding a practice to become closer to God and giving charitable donations.

I believe in the idea of giving justice to God, self and neighbor. In fact, my faith (and I'm sure other Christian denominations) teaches that we are to love God, ourselves, and our neighbor as ourselves. They're words right out of Christ's mouth. I can appreciate the renewed effort that other Christian churches make during this time immediately prior to the celebration of the greatest sacrifice ever made. So why don't Mormons celebrate Lent?

We don't celebrate Lent because our focus is on the fact that He lives, not that He died. He died for me, yes, but He also rose again for me. And He lives, as sure as I do. This I know without any doubt in my mind. He lives, He lives who once was dead!

But, that isn't going to stop me from buying doughnuts tonight and starting a diet tomorrow.