Today, thousands of Roman Catholics marked the last day before the Lenten season by celebrating “Fat Tuesday,” a day of feasting and revelry. Tomorrow, even more will start out the Lenten Season by attending an Ash Wednesday Service. A priest will mark their foreheads with ash to remind them of the dust from whence they came and signify their participation in a period of fasting and desire to do penance. Christians should not miss this opportunity to start conversations about religious practices with their Roman Catholic friends and ultimately share with them the true gospel of Jesus Christ, contrasting it with the dead, empty ceremonial religion of the Roman Catholic Church.
“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:16-18
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