A Moment Aside --- 16 February 2021
This day goes by a number of names:
Shrove Tuesday (“Shrove” – from “shrive”, to confess)
Fat Tuesday (No explanation needed)
Marti Gras (“Fat Tuesday”)
Fasching (“Fasting” since it is the eve of the
Lenten fast)
Carnival/Karneval (literally “Farewell to meat”, again referring to the Lenten fast)
The custom
is to eat up all the sugar and oil in the house since at one time people would
fast from sweet things, fried things, and even meat during the season of Lent.
This is why custom demands the eating of pancakes, donuts, “paczki”
(Polish/Slavic), or “Fastnachts” (Pennsylvania German donuts or pastries
traditionally made with potato flour.) This is also the reason that Easter and
chocolate or candy are attached to each other. (The Lenten fast is over; eat
up!)
Such fasting
is out of style in at this time. Some people fast, some don’t, and some can’t.
Still we can do something for the season of Lent to make changes. There are
things that are harder to change than what we eat or how often we eat.
We can “fast”
from sharp words.
We can “fast”
from angry words, said without good reason.
We can “fast”
from selfishness, even if only once or twice a day.
We can “fast”
from arrogance.
We can “fast”
from judgement.
We could give
up or lay aside certain things for Lent and we could take up certain things for
Lent.
We could
be more humble. (G.K.Chesterton once said humility does not consist of thinking
less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.)
We could
listen and actually hear. We could pray and actually mean it. We could be
better to ourselves. We could do one thing every day to make the world around
us a better place… and it will be.
Lent is a
time of grace. Remember that Moses and the Hebrew people were lost in the
desert and had nothing and no one to rely on but God. But really… where better
to put trust?
Enjoy your
pancakes and donuts. Then enjoy this upcoming Lent of grace.
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