Posts
1. Did you celebrate Mardi Gras and/or Ash Wednesday this week? How?
Actually, I was so busy celebrating the return to work, after 2 months on sick leave, I neglected all other celebrations. Pretty tired... but really happy to be working and not watching TV!
2. What was your most memorable Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent?
The advent of Lent was always memorable when I was in parochial school. Always discussion of who was giving up what. Then seeing how long that lasted.
3. Did you/your church/your family celebrate Lent as a child? If not, when and how did you discover it?
Yes, we did and this was before Vatican II, so I remember lots of rules re:meals for the adults. I vaguely remember that only one meal a day could be a meat meal-correct me if I'm wrong about this-and that the size of breakfast and lunch had to be smaller-together-than dinner.
OK, I looked this up-
Factoid: Pre-Vatican III During Lent Complete abstinence on Fridays, Ash Wednesday, and Holy Saturday morning. Complete abstinence means no meat or soup or gravy made from meat.
Fast on the weekdays of Lent. Fast means one full meal and two meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength. The two additional meals may not equal another full meal. Meat may be taken at the principal meal on a day of fast (provided the day is not Ash Wednesday, a Friday, or Holy Saturday morning).
No eating between meals, but liquids, including milk and juice are allowed.
Beer and wine are allowed, but no hard alcohol. (snide comment, you'd have to know that those Catholics would allow alcoholic!)
Note that these were the rules back in the 1950s. This was particularly difficult for everyone, but I remember my mother who was a butcher in a her own store (a rare occupation for a woman in those days) and did hard physical labor and really abided by these rules (I had one can of tuna and a melba toast...), struggling to eat enough to have enough strength. These rules also took effect when you turned 14. Thank God I turned 14 after Vatican II and only had to struggle with whether to give up chocolate or spinach! (which I am allergic to and, of course can't eat anyway.)
4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between?
The only thing I do now is give up working on Good Friday.
5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year?
As shown in number 4.
Factoid: Pre-Vatican III During Lent Complete abstinence on Fridays, Ash Wednesday, and Holy Saturday morning. Complete abstinence means no meat or soup or gravy made from meat.
Fast on the weekdays of Lent. Fast means one full meal and two meatless meals, sufficient to maintain strength. The two additional meals may not equal another full meal. Meat may be taken at the principal meal on a day of fast (provided the day is not Ash Wednesday, a Friday, or Holy Saturday morning).
No eating between meals, but liquids, including milk and juice are allowed.
Beer and wine are allowed, but no hard alcohol. (snide comment, you'd have to know that those Catholics would allow alcoholic!)
Note that these were the rules back in the 1950s. This was particularly difficult for everyone, but I remember my mother who was a butcher in a her own store (a rare occupation for a woman in those days) and did hard physical labor and really abided by these rules (I had one can of tuna and a melba toast...), struggling to eat enough to have enough strength. These rules also took effect when you turned 14. Thank God I turned 14 after Vatican II and only had to struggle with whether to give up chocolate or spinach! (which I am allergic to and, of course can't eat anyway.)
4. Are you more in the give-up camp, or the take-on camp, or somewhere in between?
The only thing I do now is give up working on Good Friday.
5. How do you plan to keep Lent this year?
As shown in number 4.
