Mardi Gras ended just in time.

As police in New Orleans walked through the streets to signal the formal end of the city's often brazen public bash, the Lenten season was officially getting underway.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40-day period (excluding Sundays) that ends with Easter and Jesus' resurrection after being crucified.

Across the land, Christians from various denominations will commemorate the day by fasting, praying or participating in ceremonies in which ashes are crossed on their foreheads. Many will abstain from a particular food or beverage or activity until Easter, in recognition of Jesus' great sacrifice.

These rituals symbolize our connection to God and our acknowledgment that despite being created in His image, we are mere mortals who sin and mess up more often than we get it right. 

What I enjoy most about this season is the opportunity it gives us to embrace our shortcomings and still feel okay.

In our "survival of the fittest," "may the best man (or woman) win" society, it's not easy to admit that you're not perfect.

Certainly we know that perfection is impossible in human form, but let the tabloids, news magazine shows and celebrity profiles tell it, perfection can be bought in a bottle, Botox needle, therapist's chair or personal trainer's gym mat.

It can be acquired at an elite university, on Wall Street or in some of the boardrooms of the most powerful companies across the land.

The truth is, if we were perfect we just might not understand the need for God. And surely we wouldn't need Lent. Then, where would we find ourselves?