Celebrate Today...Lent Begins Tomorrow
New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras. In Italy and other countries they call it Carnevale. Mardi Gras translates as "Fat Tuesday." Carnivale translates as "Carnival." Whatever you call it, it ends today.
While the feasting and traditional celebrations of these days before Lent continue to be observed in our secular society, the same can't be said for the Season for which these celebrations prepare: Lent. Contemporary society rejects the asceticism traditionally associated with Lent. We don't like denying ourselves anything these days.
Of course, the whole point of the pre-Lenten celebrating, where our feasts include meat (carne) and fat (gras), was to stock up before those days of fast and abstinence that we once observed during Lent. These days, though, after we scarf up the meat and fat, there's little desire to deny ourselves these legitimate pleasures as a means to better focus our minds and hearts on God. We'd rather just go on feasting, thank you.
But it doesn't have to be that way. You can chose to live as a Catholic during Lent, rather than a secular humanist. And on the chance that maybe you've forgotten just what that might mean, you can always open up your Catechism, or read the writings of the Fathers of the Church about Lent and the importance and value of fasting, works of charity, and penance during this Holy Season.
Then again, on the chance you might not have a lot of time on your hands right now, and given the fact that Lent begins tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, you might just think about your work today. Chances are - even if you've got some special plans to celebrate Fat Tuesday after work - you're not going to stay up all night, eating and drinking. Do that and you'll pretty much be a basket case at work tomorrow. So you exercise some self-control, some discipline. You moderate your eating and drinking during the work week (even if it is Carnevale). You get a good night's sleep. Next morning you're ready for work. You do it so, at the least, you can keep your job. But you do it too so you'll excel at your work and maybe get a promotion and/or make more money, no?
So now when Lent begins tomorrow, just think "self-control...discipline." Apply that to your spiritual life. You're doing that already, one hopes. But during Lent you just do it in a special way. It's kind of like when your employer provides special seminars, training, even retreats away from the office, to help you do your job better. Lent is that special time when you do things to help your spiritual life, to help you live better.
You want to do your job better, don't you? You want to perform at a high level and advance in whatever your chosen line of work might be, right? You'll improve your work life for the satisfaction and for the rewards.
So, of course, you'll want to do the same when it comes to your spiritual life. Only the satisfaction and rewards are much greater. You know that, don't you?
So enjoy your meat and fat today. Just remember that Lent begins tomorrow.
While the feasting and traditional celebrations of these days before Lent continue to be observed in our secular society, the same can't be said for the Season for which these celebrations prepare: Lent. Contemporary society rejects the asceticism traditionally associated with Lent. We don't like denying ourselves anything these days.
Of course, the whole point of the pre-Lenten celebrating, where our feasts include meat (carne) and fat (gras), was to stock up before those days of fast and abstinence that we once observed during Lent. These days, though, after we scarf up the meat and fat, there's little desire to deny ourselves these legitimate pleasures as a means to better focus our minds and hearts on God. We'd rather just go on feasting, thank you.
But it doesn't have to be that way. You can chose to live as a Catholic during Lent, rather than a secular humanist. And on the chance that maybe you've forgotten just what that might mean, you can always open up your Catechism, or read the writings of the Fathers of the Church about Lent and the importance and value of fasting, works of charity, and penance during this Holy Season.
Then again, on the chance you might not have a lot of time on your hands right now, and given the fact that Lent begins tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, you might just think about your work today. Chances are - even if you've got some special plans to celebrate Fat Tuesday after work - you're not going to stay up all night, eating and drinking. Do that and you'll pretty much be a basket case at work tomorrow. So you exercise some self-control, some discipline. You moderate your eating and drinking during the work week (even if it is Carnevale). You get a good night's sleep. Next morning you're ready for work. You do it so, at the least, you can keep your job. But you do it too so you'll excel at your work and maybe get a promotion and/or make more money, no?
So now when Lent begins tomorrow, just think "self-control...discipline." Apply that to your spiritual life. You're doing that already, one hopes. But during Lent you just do it in a special way. It's kind of like when your employer provides special seminars, training, even retreats away from the office, to help you do your job better. Lent is that special time when you do things to help your spiritual life, to help you live better.
You want to do your job better, don't you? You want to perform at a high level and advance in whatever your chosen line of work might be, right? You'll improve your work life for the satisfaction and for the rewards.
So, of course, you'll want to do the same when it comes to your spiritual life. Only the satisfaction and rewards are much greater. You know that, don't you?
So enjoy your meat and fat today. Just remember that Lent begins tomorrow.
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