Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday follows Mardi Gras. I had big plans for a very penitential Lent, so TLOML and I had a feast, and much wine , to celebrate Mardi Gras. That would've been fine.. but being a substitute teacher I got a call to go in to work on Wednesday. Wednesday was pretty hard. I had a headache, and I was HUNGRY!!! When I got home from work we went to mass. That was very nice, and we got ashes, being reminded that we are dust, and will return to dust, and to turn away from sin. After mass, it sure was cold, and seemed a little sleety. I WAS STARVING, ( this does happen when one has been fasting). So we decided to go to seafood restaurant . When we got there it was after seven o'clock on a Wednesday,and the joint was jumping. There was a thirty minute wait. I was a little embarassed to have ashes on my forehead , but then I saw that half the people in there had ashes on their foreheads ! We sat in the bar, and drank water with our dinner. I think that had to count for a lot of brownie points. So let's see...one day down, and 39 more to go...
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Well done, you get Fish points if your in my house, no brownies allowed for those 39 more days.
ReplyDeleteMy son commented on so many people at school having ashes (Frisco TX down the street from St. Francis) He laughed and said he had no idea there were so many Catholics in his school. I asked him why on earth he would said that, he said they don't act like it! Ouch...
Water bottle filled, off for a Lent induced walk!
Being a protestant prude and all... ha ha. No, but in my church growing up, they never even MENTIONED Lent, so it was new to me when I befriended a group of Catholics. Last year I participated for the first time, giving up Coca Cola. It helped show me (if even just a little) how much I take for granted, especially how much I take it for granted that whenever I have a craving, I can just go satisfy it in no time, when there are so many people out there who- I mean, forget soda and candy, can't even satisfy their hunger for bread every day.
ReplyDeleteLent is an eye-opener. My background wants me to say something like, "Yeah, but we should be like this all the time. Not just once a year." But we sometimes need a structure to our spiritual lives. It's helpful. And others are going through it at the same time, which gives us that sense of community (as does walking into a seafood restaurant full of ashy heads). Also, it's an excuse to have meaningful conversations with fellow believers, etc.
Anyway, I liked hearing more about this from your perspective. I hope you have an enriching experience :)