I’m Catholic (Anglo-Catholic). I typically take ashes on Ash Wednesday but didn’t have time to make it to mass today.
Lent is not just a Catholic thing. It’s a part of the traditional Christian season, it’s just most Protestant Churches are so watered down, they seem to be oblivious to traditional Christian history and ritual.
Lent represents the 40 days Christ fasted in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. It is suppose to be a time of fasting and soberness and observance of scripture for all Christians and ends with Holy Week, which is the last week of Christ culminating with the day of his resurrection on Easter.
Because the Lenten season was a time for holy deprivation, “Mardi Gras” or the days leading up to Lent was a time for people to engage in sinful excess before having to give it all up.
Lent was also the time when new Christians would be brought into the church. They would use the forty days to learn about church history, tradition, and scripture, and would either be confirmed or baptized into the church on Easter Sunday.
Lent is the traditional time of fasting and engaging with scripture while looking forward to the Resurrection, which is the event that makes Christians, Christian. Without the Resurrection, the Christian faith is false.
Speak on it. The significance of all these days (Fat Tuesday, Palm Sunday, even Mardi Gras) is pretty lost on me aside from the drinking
You can realize a lot about discipline and serving others though.
