Do Latter-day Saints Believe In Ash Wednesday And Lent?

My uncle is Catholic, many of my friends and coworkers are Catholic, and I’ve lived in the inner cities on the East Coast where there are large Catholic populations. So, a common question I get asked is, “Do Mormons believe in and observe Ash Wednesday and Lent?” The short answer is, “We do not.” But the reasoning behind it is critical! But first, I want to establish some context about Ash Wednesday and Lent, as many Latter-day Saints don’t even know what Ash Wednesday or Lent is.

Note: This is not meant to be a complete history of Ash Wednesday and Lent, but a crash course. If you want a complete history, you should ask a Catholic.

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 Protestant scholars say it was for money; Catholic scholars 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 needed to go to confession. (The ashes come from burned palm branches from Palm Sunday the year before, and it is mixed with olive oil. 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. Or by the ignorant, this year a teacher in Utah, most likely a Latter-day Saint, who did not know about Ash Wednesday asked a student to wipe off the cross. This is one of the goals of this article, to prevent ignorant mistakes like that. But it is important to understand that many Protestant Churches today reject the idea of Ash Wednesday. They claim that the practice lacks biblical support, as it started in the 5th century, years after the death of the last Apostles; they view it as a Catholic addition that they reject. 

Lent

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. My Catholic coworker once gave up sugar and sweets. Many Catholics give up meat for the 40 days of Lent. But as soon as Lent is over, most of my friends go right back to what they gave up. Much like how many Latter-day Saints eat a massive meal after they end their fast on fast Sunday.

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 crucify someone (usually, 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. In the video below, Jeffrey R Holland, one of the living Apostles, bears his Apostolic testimony of Jesus Christ: I invite you to watch it.

So, why don’t Latter-day Saints observe Ash Wednesday and Lent?

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 they were Catholic institutions, and we are neither Catholic nor protesting the Catholics, but rather a restoration of the original Church of Jesus Christ. And unlike Christmas and Easter, which are based on and celebrations of historical events of the birth and resurrection of Christ. Ash Wednesday and Lent are religious ceremonies based on historical events but are 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 worship the same way.  You have every right to wear a cross as a sign between you and God of your faith just as wearing our garments as a sign before God of our faith.  (Here is a short video about that)

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 on which you are required to repent; we believe in repenting daily and weekly partaking of the sacrament (communion/holy eucharist). 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, but we believe it is the only way to renew any of our covenants. Delbert L. Stapley, an Apostle, taught that “By partaking of the Sacrament we renew all covenants entered into with the Lord” (CR: Oct. 1965, p. 14). We also fast on the first Sunday of each month, commonly referred to as “fast Sunday,” and we donate at least the value of those two meals to the poor and needy. The Prophets have asked that when able, we donate 10x the value of those two meals! That is how a church of only 16 million can help feed 100’s of millions of people. 

A Restoration, NOT a Reformation. 

As the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not break off the Catholic Church, we have never been subjected to the Catholic church, nor its traditions. And as Ash Wednesday and Lent are Catholic practices that pay homage to the scriptures but are not taught by Christ or His Apostles, we don’t observe them, and in many cases, Latter-day Saints don’t even know about them. Instead, we believe in the ordinances and practices of the Apostolic Church that Jesus Christ and His Apostles established (Baptism,  the Sacrament, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, etc. ), and the doctrines He and his Apostles taught (Faith, Grace, Repentance, Loving your neighbor). We believe that these doctrines, ordinances, and practices, as well as the Apostolic Priesthood authority to administer them, 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 on the Cross. His death was not the end of the Atonement. We believe He still lives. Because we believe that Jesus Christ lives, we believe that the head of our church is not a man but Jesus Christ, who 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 that will take place just before Easter (on April 5th and 6th). Everything will be online! For view options, click HERE.  

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