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Dear HCF,
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead! Morning prayer as usual tomorrow and mark your calendars for our next monthly dinner and first book study on March 15! We are also planning to resume weekly Thursday fellowship lunches next week.
Grace and Peace,
Anthony, Jake, and Megan
Weekly Reflection - James Allred (FTMBA '15)
After watching the typical scenes of crazy parties and drunken fights on Bourbon Street last week – I think we can all agree that Mardi Gras is a strange holiday. Perhaps even stranger than Mardi Gras is the sight of Christians covering their foreheads in dirt on Ash Wednesday. Or better yet, how does giving up diet soda or sugary sweets for 40 days have anything to do with being a Christian? I’m fairly certain Diet Coke was invented in the 1980s – not quite biblical times.
I have been a Catholic my entire life and I’m not sure I know the answers to some of these questions. So whether you’re a lifelong Christian or just curious to understand these annual events, here is the lowdown on Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, and the Lenten Season.
Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of reflection and fasting which prepares us for Christ's resurrection on EasterSunday, through which we attain eternal salvation. The ashes serve as a symbolic reminder that man is dust, and to dust we will return.
Lent lasts for 46 days (40 fasting days and 6 Sundays) and ends on Easter Sunday. Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan. Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter.
For me personally, Lent has often felt like a time of rejuvenation for my faith. The changing of the seasons and all the new life that the arrival of springtime brings with it help serve as a constant reminder of the imminent resurrection of the Lord. Without fail, every year we see this beautiful transformation of the world around us. In many ways, I see it as symbolic of the promise of salvation – bringing strength to my faith.
Praises and Prayer Requests
PRAISE for a great weekend at Believers in Business for a handful of HCF folks. Praise for the good work that God is doing across many MBA campuses and in many workplaces. Praise that we are children of God and nothing can separate us from His love!
PRAYER for joy and strength for the week ahead!
Please submit your own praises and prayer requests to your co-presidents and specify whether we have permission to include them in the newsletter. Even if you don't want them to be public, we would be so delighted to share in your blessings and lift up your burdens.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19
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