As many celebrate Fat Tuesday today, others are even more enthusiastically looking forward to Ash Wednesday tomorrow.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a period of 40 days leading up to Easter and is observed by several denominations of Christianity, notably Catholicism.
It’s actually an Old English word meaning springtime and from it comes an older German word where we get the word long, referencing to the lengthening of days, Father Mark Edney of St. Mary Catholic Church said.
It’s a period of prayer, fasting and almsgiving with prayer particularly emphasized at this time as one makes “sure we are right with God and making the time to listen to God,” he explained. “Fasting is to make sure we are right with ourselves.”
While people often “eat just to eat, not what we actually need, fasting is an awareness of what we actually need and putting our needs into perspective,” Edney said.
Almsgiving is “to give to others who are in need. That’s a way to make sure we are right with each other.”
Those who celebrate the day will attend mass on Wednesday and receive the imposition of ashes on the forehead in the form of the cross with the priest quoting Genesis 3:19 to remind them “you are dust and into dust you shall return,” recognizing mortality.
It’s also very traditional to go to confession during this time before Easter.
“Every parish in the Imperial Valley will have a reconciliation offered between Ash Wednesday and Easter,” Edney said.
St. Mary itself will have between 10 and 12 priests available for reconciliation services, and on Wednesday, six different services will be offered throughout the day to accommodate people.
“It’s one of the most popular days in any church in the year,” he said. “People always think it’s Christmas that’s most popular but really it’s Ash Wednesday.”
There are many misconceptions people have about Lent.
“The most popular notion of Lent is to give up something like candy. That’s true, we do give up things as part of the fasting,” he said. “But the whole point of Lent is not just to abstain from candy so you can have lots of chocolate on Easter Sunday. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are reorienting to make sure that we’re right with God, ourselves and our neighbors and that is to continue, to grow closer to God, yourself and your neighbor.”
Calexico resident Martha Gomez is going to fast every Friday and give up red meat for the six weeks of Lent.
“The first couple of weeks are hard, refraining from something you enjoy,” she said. “It’s a sacrifice and something to be kept for yourself, something between you and God.”
“We use it as a time to get close to God again, because sometimes throughout the year we get lazy as Catholics so it’s something to bring us back,” she continued. “It’s the most important time of year as a Catholic I think.”
Geo Raygosa said he looks forward to doing “something out of my character and have that be part of my Lent,” he said Monday. He’s considering volunteering his time to help facilitate activities for others at his church.
He already doesn’t eat meat, and while many people give up things like drinking at this time, he feels that “you should do something out of your comfort zone, not just give up things you shouldn’t do anyway.”
While he was raised Catholic as a young child, he went through a period in his early adulthood where he wasn’t actively practicing any religion. Since moving to the Valley, he’s been impressed with “how in-touch people are with their religious side. There’s a large, strong faith community here,” he said.
Regardless of whether one is Catholic, Raygosa said Lent is a opportunity for self-reflection.
“Give time for yourself. You’ll find peace with yourself and it will help you,” he said. “It’s something you owe yourself, to do for yourself. Always give yourself some time for you.”
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