Parties & Fasting

After living in Louisiana for almost 2 years now, Mardi Gras is no joke. This celebration is alive and well throughout the entire state. David and I both get time off from school for a "mardi gras break" and some businesses even honor this holiday by shutting their doors for the day. Crazy right? Please excuse my ignorance; there is no denying I gladly particpated in Mardi Gras parties, but I honestly never took the time to learn the what and why were we celebrating this holiday? Well, don't worry - this year I got educated. lol.

According to: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/mardigras/ the following information was found. Mardi Gras, literally "Fat Tuesday," has grown in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event. But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the "last hurrah" before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. That's why the enormous party in New Orleans, for example, ends abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of streetsweepers pushing the crowds out of the French Quarter towards home.

Not going to lie.... I am not Catholic and I don't believe in having to go through someone to speak to Christ. However, Louisiana is very much a Catholic state (mainly in the south) and well, it is good to be educated on what and why people do things.

Personally I stand behind these two verses:
Acts 4:12 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (NIV).

John 14:6  ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (NIV).

These two verses are what my truth is founded on. I am not here to pass judgement on others, but speak truth and these verses speak for themselves. With that I stand firmly on my foundation in Christ.

From the website: http://www.churchyear.net/ashwednesday.html the following information was found:
In the Western Church, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40-day period of fasting before Easter. On Ash Wednesday, ashes are blessed, mixed with either holy oil or water, and imposed on the head with the sign of the cross, or sprinkled on the forehead. The ashes are made from burning palm branches blessed the previous year on Palm Sunday. When the priest imposes the ashes he says either "remember man you are dust, and to dust you will return" (see Genesis 3:19), or "turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel" (Mark 1:15).


The ashes serve a dual purpose. First, as the above words imply, we are reminded of our mortality and humanity as we begin the Lenten Fast. Second, the ashes are a Biblical symbol of repentance, sorrow, and humility. There are many cases in the Scriptures of wearing ashes as a sign of penitence, often while wearing sackcloth. In 2 Samuel 13:19, Tamar puts on ashes and tears her clothes as a sign of sadness and repentance. In Esther 4:1-3, after learning of the king's decree to kill all Jews, Mordecai tears his garments, and puts on sackcloth and ashes. His fellow Jews do the same thing, as well as beginning to fast. The prophet Jeremiah (6:26) urges his readers to "gird on sackcloth and roll in ashes."

I am looking forward to growing closer to Christ through the next forty days. David and I will have many things to celebrate come Easter this year and we can't wait! Some of them include: being in Dallas and sharing time together with my parents, seeing friends and getting to run in a 5k that supports domestic violence. We are excited to get a couple of things off our plate that will be over by Easter. Life is full of seasons and the next forty days will be no exception. I am ready to take the ride!