Likely more people are excited about Mardi Gras than
Lent. Both Mardi Gras (which is French
for "Fat Tuesday") and Lent are traditions that have evolved and
unfortunately devolved over many years.
Mardi Gras doesn’t have any remaining spiritual significance other than
it is the day before Lent. The origin is reported that people would be fasting
starting on Ash Wednesday, and would ‘use up’ their remaining foods that were
not going to be consumed during the 40 day period of Lent.
Over time, Mardi Gras and “Fat Tuesday” became the opportunity or excuse for one
more day or one extreme day to indulge the flesh. Like the
bachelor and bachelorette parties that should be avoided as they are often
regretted, I recommend that we just say ‘no’ to Mardi Gras. Having a
celebration of a day called Fat Tuesday or encouraging over-indulgence as if
some how we are entitled to revel in excess just seems contrary to the whole
idea of fasting and discipline.
What is Lent?
Lent is a very ancient season in the church that is a
40-day period of fasting, prayer and renewal preceding Easter. Lent is an old-English word that really is
just another name for Spring, as Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on
Easter Sunday. In the early church,
there were many different times of fasting and prayer and many try to attribute
the practice of a 40-day fast prior to Easter to the Council of Nicaea in AD
325. However, the records from the
Council of Nicaea are readily accessible and I find no particular reference to
a time of fasting by the Council of Nicaea. History records that by the 6th
century, the leaders of the church had a problem in that very few people were
participating in the weekly communion service.
Church teaching at that time was most severe, focusing on God’s
vengeance, man’s sinfulness, eternal damnation and hell fire. Most people felt that they were unworthy to
receive communion so a 40-day period of fasting was instituted to prepare people to receive communion at Easter. The Quadragesima would eventually be known
as “Ash Wednesday” as ashes were used in the ceremony beginning this period of
fasting, prayer and renewal.
A Biblical fast always involves abstaining from food for
some period. While it rarely would be a complete abstinence (i.e. only water),
it should be deliberate, it should be over an extended period of time (i.e. 21
days, 40 days) and should always involve prayer.
Both 21 days and 40 days are great Biblical numbers for a
feast. The prophet Daniel fasted for 21 days and Jesus fasted in the wilderness
for 40 days.
The Quadragesima fast or Lent changed greatly over the
years. The people wanted to know what
minimally was required to complete the fast (not unlike today) and the church
over the years relaxed the fast from one meal a day with no meat, poultry or
fish consumed, to a few days of fasting a week and recently for Catholics to not
eating meat on Friday during Lent. Many Christians don’t fast during Lent but
will ‘give up’ something. This is unfortunate as it is in a fast that we can
truly reflect, renew our spirits and prepare for this time to remember the
death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, many of the churches have
abandoned the season of Lent but recently fasting is making a comeback in some
of our Evangelical Churches. For more on
fasting, here is a link to my blog on Prayer and Fasting .
