Lenten 101

This is written to my dear non-Catholic Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, but may be a good reflection for Catholics as well.

Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, whatever you may call it, is the day before Ash Wednesday in which the Roman Catholic Church begins the Liturgical season of Lent. Lent is a word that has often caused a non-Catholic eyebrow or two to raise and turn away. Every year the same arguments are heard; "Lent isn't in the Bible!" "Jesus already paid for our sins, you Catholics are wasting your time!" Friends, I hope this doesn't shock you, but Catholics know that you will not find the word "Lent" anywhere in the Old or New Testament. We also know a bit about the salvation we are invited to partake of in Christ Jesus. These questions are greatly missing the point.

Lent is the season in which the Christian seeks out the Lord in a deeper way by means of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Seeking the Lord. Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. As Christians, we are all called to do these all the time. But on Ash Wednesday, our churches are decked out in Purple (a color signifying repentance) and we receive ashes on our foreheads, something that also raises more eyebrows. As the cross is traced in Ashes, we hear one of two things from the Priest: "Remember, oh man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" or more simply "Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel." To me, as a Catholic, there are few things more edifying than this moment of reception. I'm not bearing sackcloth and trying to earn salvation. I'm calling to mind that without Jesus Christ, I am absolutely nothing.

Each Catholic takes on a 'penance' of prayer, fasting, or almsgiving (the vast majority fasting from anything from cookies, soda, TV, or Facebook). For forty days, we recall that Christ was tempted in the desert. Using this scriptural story as guidance, His sacrifices are made real to us in a very unique way. We don't go through nearly as much suffering as He did, and thus we come to a greater realization of just how much he gave. Plus, it certainly doesn't hurt us to give up these things, anyways, as more often than not we worship earthly things more than we worship the Lord of Lords. It's sad, but sadly true.

Hopefully this leads you to the next question. What about Fridays? Why are Catholics eating so much fish? Answer: pretty much the same thing. 60 years ago, and for most of the history of the Roman Catholic Church, EVERY single Friday was a day of fasting. The reasons are the same: we desire to make Christ's sacrifice more understandable, more relevant, more REAL. Thus every Friday of the year used to be a mini-Lent, just as every Sunday is to be a mini-Easter. Here's some clarification for Catholics and Non-Catholics alike; this requirement was not done away with. Catholics are still greatly admonished to fast from something on Fridays. The hope behind this change was that the faithful would sacrifice out of their own piety, however, there was great confusion about many things when this change was made. Still, every Lenten Friday is to be a day of fasting in order to make the Lord's suffering, and in particular His Passion and Death, real and present to us. In addition to fasting, there are two days of "abstinence": Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, in which all Catholics eat one large meal, or two small meals that would not be greater in size than a larger meal. No snacking is allowed. Again, none of this is done to merit anything. The end Catholics have in mind is to know Jesus as intimately as possible.

The final question is the greatest. WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER AT ALL? If it's all about knowing our Lord, Praying, Fasting, Giving Money, than we should be doing it all the time! Yes, this is ultimately true. However, how many Christians (Catholic or otherwise) do this 365 days a year? I say this often and I'll say it again: anyone who is considered a "Perfect" Christian is more in need of Christ than tax collectors and sinners. We all fall short of knowing Christ and fulfilling our duties as His disciples. It is so beautiful that Lent exists for this purpose. It is beautiful to me how Fridays are to be mini Lents and serve this purpose. And guess what else- while almost every other Christian denomination starts singing Christmas Carols on Thanksgiving, Catholics again adorn their Churches with Purple and reflect on our actions as we await the celebration of not only His birth, but also prepare for His second coming.

If you have any questions after reading this, don't hesitate to ask. Please know that I do not condemn anyone who doesn't celebrate Lent, but I do condone the celebration 100%.

Sola Deo Gratias.