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Hello everyone,

Are you observing Lent this year? Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday - will you be having pancakes? And Ash Wednesday - what will you be doing?

Cheers

Yes, we will be observing Lent this year. Provided the weather cooperates on Wednesday, I plan to pick up my grandson and go to WINGS (Women in God's Spirit). Instead of our usual social time and speaker, the plan is to do the Stations of the Cross. It will then be time for the ashes to be distributed so Tyler and I will go to the service. My husband will meet us there at Noon.

I've been trying to clean out the fridge. I read someplace that today is Clean Monday - time to clean out all the temptations.

Pancakes may be a good dinner for Wednesday! I'm going to try to find some new vegetarian recipes for this Lent. My parish is going to have Fish Fries on Friday for Families after the Stations.

Lestie, what is your plan?

Hi Angie,

It's traditionally pancakes for me tomorrow as I clear out the last of the rich stuff in the kitchen for a while, like butter and creams and things ... and then it's off to church for some serious personal reflection on how to be a better me.

For Lent I am giving up a few little things that will be big things for me and which will take my focus and self-discipline to achieve.

I enjoy this time of the year for the endings it offers me,and I look forward to the end of the Easter observance for the renewal that offers. It's all in my head of course but I guess it's the focus I like.

Cheers and go well for Lent everyone,

I don't go for giving up too much but I will not bring in extras for the season. CARITAS (shelter the homeless) will be at our parish for a week during Lent and I will go to church to help with laundry or serve dinner.

There will be more reading to do this Lent too. We all strive to do and be better. A question came up last week (an old catechism question), "Why Did God Make You." It is a good reflection question: just why am I here and what do I need to be doing to fulfill God's plan?

What did I know about Clean Monday - read this:


Spring Cleaning in the Temple
Posted: 17 Feb 2015 03:58 AM PST

............... read the entire article HERE

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Today we have what could be called the two extremes in the East and in the West.

For us in the Latin Rite fast is only required on two days, tomorrow and Good Friday, and only for people 18-59. Again, if you are into minimalism, fasting is defined as one meal, and then the sum total of everything else you eat should not equal another meal. That is the minimum required. Plus we abstain from meat on Fridays.

At the other end of the spectrum you have the eastern practice of the Great Lent which would include our Orthodox brothers and sisters. The great Lent is 6 weeks long, preceded by four weeks of preparation.

Two weeks before the First Sunday of Lent is Meat Fare (мясопуст-in Russian), your last chance to eat meat. One Week before the First Sunday of Lent is Cheese Fare (сыропуст), the last chance to eat cheese and other dairy products including eggs, because they come from animals—Imagine, no meat no dairy for the rest of Lent. Lent officially begins the next day, "clean Monday" as it is sometimes called.
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Hi Angie,

I will not be following clean Monday.

I found the article interesting though disturbing - there is a measure of blind faith about it that I find upsetting - do you think these types of rituals bode well for the Church currently?

I don't believe so, but then I am not Catholic and so there will be much about this approach to God that I would not understand.

Still, the connection between the Anglican and Catholic churches is very close, history notwithstanding; so I repeat my question, in general ... is clean Monday a good idea for the modern approach to Christianity?

Cheers