"May every family and Christian community use well this time of
Lent...to cast aside all that distracts the spirit and grow in whatever
nourishes the soul, moving it to love of God and neighbor." -- Pope
Benedict XVI, Lent 2009 message
Pope Benedict XVI calls us to rediscover the soul-nourishing value of fasting and pryaer during this Lenten season. He writes that in Biblical tradition, "[s]ince all of us are weighed down by sin and its consequences, fasting is proposed to us as an instrument to restore friendship with God." And he cites Scripture to conclude that "[t]he true fast is thus directed to eating the 'true food,' which is to do the Father’s will. ...
"I am thinking especially of a greater commitment to prayer, lectio divina, recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and active participation in the Eucharist, especially the Holy Sunday Mass," Pope Benedict concludes. "With this interior disposition, let us enter the penitential spirit of Lent."
This Tuesday before the beginning of Lent is known by many names: Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Pancake Day, Fasnacht Day, and more. Each part of the world has a tradition for celebrating Carnival in some form. Some start festivities on the day after Epiphany. Some start before Thanksgiving. Others make it just a three-day event to culminate on the day before Ash Wednesday.
Traditional foods eaten on this day are made with fat and eggs because Lenten fasts historically exclude those items from the diets of the observant Christian.
The 40 days sof Lent represent the time that Jesus spent in the desert, tempted by Satan, fasting and praying, before entering into His public ministry. Observant Christians, therefore, during this somber time, fast and pray to God for the physical, emotional, and spiritual strength to fend off the ways of the world, and to endure the trials of hardships, and to grow in faith and love for God and neighbor. (The six Sundays during Lent are not fast days because every Sunday is a celebration of Christ's Resurrection.)
We are reminded of our own mortality, and we are called to repent. Through prayer, penitence, alms-giving and self-denial, we prepare to share in the Passion (beginning Holy Thursday), death (Good Friday), and Resurrection (Easter Sunday) of Jesus Christ.
by Nancy E. Thoerig 02.24.09
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