A Shrove kind of Evening

Fully knowing that we would be facing a week inclusive of Shrove Tuesday, a.k.a, Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras to be followed by Ash Wednesday and forty days of reflection, a party of eight from area code 305 jumped ahead of schedule and invested in an evening of thoughtful coordination of tastes and vintage brews and smokes.

Need I say more....

A Lenten Camino begins as we walk on a spiritual pilgrimage for forty days in preparation and renewal. 

Ah, of course, the number 40! Forty has always had special spiritual significance regarding preparation. On Mount Sinai, preparing to receive the Ten Commandments, "Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, without eating any food or drinking any water" (Ex 34:28). Elijah walked "40 days and 40 nights" to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb (another name for Sinai) (I Kgs 19:8). Most importantly, Jesus fasted and prayed for "40 days and 40 nights" in the desert before He began His public ministry (Mt 4:2).

Later the fasting rules were re-purposed and the the general rule of thumb was for a person to have one meal a day, in the evening or at 3 p.m.  Later there was more edification and  a smaller repast was allowed during the day to keep up one's strength; you know, all that working hard for your money and farm labor thing we do. Eating fish was also allowed, and later eating meat  except on Ash Wednesday and Friday. Dispensations were given for eating dairy products in exchange for good deeds; the pious rule thing.

Over time the rules have been simplified.  Ash Wednesday still marks the beginning of Lent, which lasts for 40 days, not including Sundays. The present fasting and abstinence laws are very simple: On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the faithful fast (having only one full meal a day and smaller snacks to keep up one's strength) and abstain from meat; on the other Fridays of Lent, the faithful abstain from meat. 

And yes,we are still encouraged "to give up something" for Lent as a sacrifice. I am guilty of changing up that rule! I typically do not give anything up. Instead, I make it my personal challenge to go out of my way to be nice to some of God's children, personally known to me, who are simply hard to love.  Try that on for size?

Plain and simple: times have changed but the message is the same, shore up with the man upstairs, work on personal renewal and prepare to celebrate again in forty days.  We, in turn, celebrated last weekend and will be ready to do it again after Easter.  Buen Camino!