Ash Wednesday

This is an article on Ash Wednesday I found on line. 

Ash Wednesday

“Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It was established many years ago; the exact date this practice started has been lost. It goes back at least to the 10th Century. The Catholic Church realized that many Catholics were not going to confession; they wanted to change that. The reasons why they wanted people to go to confession is debatable. Many scholars say it was for money; others say it was out of concern for the welfare of souls. I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

Either way, the Catholic Church decided on the first day of Lent to be the one day a year that everyone would be required to go to confession. After confession they will receive an ash Cross on their forehead, this mark on your forehead was a way to distinguish a believer who had gone to confession, and a believer that has not. It also served as a reminder to everyone that they need to go to confession.

(The ashes come from burned palm branches from Palm Sunday the year before, and the use of ash is symbolic of “repenting in sackcloth and ashes.”)

Today it has evolved, but that is how it started. The mark on the forehead has become a point of persecution for many people. In areas where the practice is common they act like if you don’t have the cross on your forehead, it means you’re not Christian. But in areas where this practice is not common, people also get persecuted for trying to memorialize Christ. Many Christian Churches today do not believe in Ash Wednesday, as the practice lacks biblical support, and it started in the 5th century, years after the death of the last Apostles.

Lent pays tribute to the 40 days that Jesus Christ fasted in preparation for his ministry. Lent is the 40 days leading up to Holy Week, to prepare for Easter. A common practice is “giving something up for lent” just like Christ fasted, often it is something that is a vice, or a sin. Sometimes it is something that they want to give up to be a better or healthier person. 

Lent ends with “Holy Week.” Holy Week is the acts of the last week of Christ’s life, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. In some areas, people even reenact those events including the carrying of a cross, and in some areas, they even will crucify someone (usual they just tie them on the cross).

We believe the events of Holy Week happened.  But we don’t believe in reenacting them as many people do during Lent. Jeffrey R Holland apostolic testimony about Christ. The last Week of Christ’s life in this video.

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we honor and celebrate the life of Christ. We do not observe Ash Wednesday or Lent as it was instituted by man. And unlike Christmas and Easter which are based on, and celebrations of historical events of the birth and resurrection of Christ. Ash Wednesday or Lent are religious ceremonies based on historical events, but highly doctrinal in practice and observance. We join with our Catholic brothers and Sisters in celebrating, and honoring Christ, and we will defend your right to worship the way you feel is right, even if we don’t agree with it.

We believe that we should always be repenting of sins we commit, and continually working on overcoming our vices. We do not believe in the idea that the church should pick a day you are required to repent on; we believe in repenting daily and weekly partaking of the Sacrament.

We believe that the Sacrament is not only a symbol of our dedication to Christ but that it renews all of our covenants we have made with God, not only that, we believe it is the only way to renew any of our covenants. Delbert L. Stapley an Apostle once taught “By partaking of the Sacrament we renew all covenants entered into with the Lord”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unlike most of Christianity did not break off the Catholic Church. We have never been subjected to the Catholic church, and as Ash Wednesday and Lent are Catholic practices that pay homage to the scriptures but are not taught by Christ or His Apostles. Both practices started 100’s of years after the death of the Apostles.

We believe in the ordinances, and practices of the Apostolic Church Jesus Christ established, and the doctrines He and his Apostles taught. We believe that these doctrines, ordinances, and practices have been restored in these latter days.

And as members of His restored church. We celebrate the birth, life, and teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles. We honor and celebrate the Holy Week, and we rejoice that the Atonement was wrought, but we don’t rejoice in, or memorialize His death with the Cross. His death was not the end of the Atonement.

Because we believe that Jesus Christ lives, we believe that the head of our church not a man, but that Jesus Christ is the Living Head. We believe that He leads us and loves us, just as in before times.  Our focus is on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Billions have died. Christ was the First to conquer death. And because of that. The first weekend of every April we hold a General Conference of the Church. Where all the living Apostles bear their Apostolic testimony that Christ Lives. And that He leads us today. They speak the words of Christ and teach us His commandments. We honor the life of Jesus Christ by following Him and listening to and obeying His Prophets. I invite you to listen to General Conference it will take place the weekend of April 7th.” 

I used to read a scripture and thought about Christ and his teachings for 40 days but this year we are reading the New Testament every week the whole year so I will listen to a talk about His life instead.

Con amor,

Vero