Mardi Gras and Lent<\/p>\n
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The juxtaposition of Mardi Gras with Ash Wednesday is a great example of the way in which we seek balance between our physical and spiritual lives.\u00a0 Mardi Gras is a Bacchanalian type celebration that is designed for us to revel in the sensual.\u00a0 This celebration is a precursor to Lent which is a preparation for the most holy of Christian observances.<\/p>\n
During the Mardi Gras celebration, we happily experience all that the physical body can enjoy in the form of good food, drink and great camaraderie. \u00a0Some may feel that such a celebration is inimical to an appreciation of God. I beg to differ. We are spirits having a human existence.\u00a0 We should enjoy the physical gifts the world has to offer.\u00a0 We should celebrate the fact that we are alive.<\/p>\n
However, as with all things, there should be balance. During Lent we prepare to celebrate \u00a0the resurrection of Jesus. \u00a0We perform the ritual of sacrifice by denying ourselves something we cherish. We do this \u00a0in honor of Jesus who for forty days and nights fasted while resisting the Devil. The Devil tempted him with \u00a0world domination \u2013 All of this can be yours if you serve me.\u00a0 Jesus fasted to manifest to us that we don\u2019t live by bread but by God. He focused \u00a0upon our true goal,\u00a0which is to be one with God. This enabled him to resist the temptation of the Devil. We purify our spirit through sacrifice in the same manner as Jesus in recognition of that lesson.<\/p>\n
Jesus made these preparations just prior to sacrificing \u00a0his physical life so we could have eternal life. \u00a0Jesus purified his physical body by denying all sensual temptation. He did not imbibe any food nor did he accept the Devil\u2019s offer to be the King of the world. He accepted his destiny and allowed himself to be crucified. He experienced tremendous physical pain in the process. While most think that Jesus bled to death based upon his wounds, he died from an inability to breathe.\u00a0 When one is nailed to a cross, it becomes impossible to breathe and one dies from suffocation.\u00a0 Jesus endured that pain because he was aware of his own inner balance. He knew that the physical world is ephemeral and that his spiritual self was eternal.\u00a0 He was willing to undergo such a horrible death to manifest that only the spirit matters in the end. He died so that we could all be free from sin and have access to the true Kingdom of Heaven.<\/p>\n
So feel free to juxtapose an enjoyment of the outer world with a focus of your inner nature \u2013 your real self,\u00a0which is the spirit within. \u00a0We, as human beings, innately understand the balance between our outer and inner selves. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In many Christian cultures around the world \u00a0there are celebrations that occur between the Feast of the Epiphany and Lent.\u00a0 Brazil has perhaps the most famous Carnival in the world. Over 2 million people celebrate the Mardi Gras festival during a three day period in Rio de Janeiro. In the city of Binche in Belgium, they celebrate Shrove Tuesday with thousands of dancers in costume lining the streets all night. \u00a0\u00a0There are similar celebrations on Fat Tuesday which is the literal translation of Mardi Gras across the world. Places like, Columbia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Unites States. These celebrations \u00a0\u00a0rejoice in the discovery that our redeemer was born and prepare us for the solemnity that occurs during Lent and Easter.\u00a0 As the French say \u201cLaissez les bon temps rouler!\u201d \u00a0(Let the good time roll)\u00a0 Appreciate the physical or outer self and then prepare the inner self to Proclaim \u00a0the Mystery of \u00a0Faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mardi Gras and Lent The juxtaposition of Mardi Gras with Ash Wednesday is a great example of the way in which we seek balance between our physical and spiritual lives.\u00a0 Mardi Gras is a Bacchanalian type celebration that is designed for us to revel in the sensual.\u00a0 This celebration is a precursor to Lent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":584,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n