These are the last moments of meat for us. Quinquagesima is the 50th day before the Paschal feast for us in the West. Sadly, the East and West are as far apart as is possible this year, but one day, we continue to pray, that both East and West will unite to celebrate together every year. The practices of Ash Wednesday are so profound, as are those of Forgiveness Sunday, and I hope that eventually the Church will get her act together and find a way to bring them together in all ways. At present, the next time we will celebrate together is 2025. Glory to God!

In the meantime, we are continuing to eat up meat and fish and dairy to empty our fridge and freezer a bit to make room for our Lenten discipline. Because of the difference between East and West and the upcoming wedding events, our fast is a little weird this week and next. We have a lot of preparations to take care of for the wedding, so we are not hosting our traditional doughnut Mardi Gras party. There are wedding goings on, and we will not be fasting this weekend because of that. We are also trying to eat up any perishable non-Lenten foods before Wednesday. Any non-Lenten foods we have left after Mardi Gras that can be frozen will be, and any that cannot be will be given to Nejat to eat this week. Then we will begin our xerophagy in earnest.

I've explained before that xerophagy is the accurate term for Lenten fasting. It means dry eating. We restrict meat, fish, dairy, eggs, oil and wine, which means our food is not as lubricated as normal. There are two strict fast days (no food or nutritive drink) in the West, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There is an optional strict fast from the evening after the Maundy Thursday service through the end of the Paschal Vigil. In the East, the first week of Lent, from Clean Monday through their vespers service on Wednesday is supposed to be as strict a fast as possible, with the guidance of a spiritual father or mother, and they share the same Triduum fasting, I believe. Aside from that, the earliest rule of the Church is to eat no meat, no fish (with the exception of shellfish - and because of the expense, we eat them sparingly), no dairy or eggs, no olive oil (all oil in a few jurisdictions), no wine (or all alcohol in some jurisdictions). On Saturdays and Sundays, the rule is relaxed to include olive oil and wine, and on a few significant feast days we are able to eat fish, and one day caviar is permitted (Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, with fish eggs acting as a shadow of the eggs associated with the Resurrection). None of this is to imply that eating or that any of these foods are bad. They are good things from which we abstain as a discipline to train ourselves, following the example and teaching of our Lord.

This is worship. Worship throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, always means sacrifice. It is not prayer, though that usually accompanies it. It is not singing hymns and songs, though they may also accompany it. It is not homilies or sermons, though they are edifying. It is sacrifice. The sacrifice that Christ offered for us once for all that we join into in the Eucharist. The sacrifice of something good for our own good in fasting. In the West, penance is emphasized, and while this is absolutely a part of our Lenten journey, fasting, praying, and almsgiving, are seen more as a discipline Christ gives us through the Church to grow us spiritually. Young children, the elderly, those who have serious medical conditions, those who are hospitalized, pregnant and nursing women, are all exempt. There is no make-up required for these people. Their fast is considered complete. In all cases, fasting or not, we are to keep our eyes on our own plate. We are not to concern ourselves with how someone else is keeping the fast, unless that person is asking us for assistance or support. Because we serve an Anglican parish on Sundays, we will be relaxing the fasting on Sundays to permit fish, as the parishioners are not required to keep the stricter fasting rules, so you will see fish on those days sometimes. My posts here about how we fast are not meant to show off, they are meants to show the reality of how we live our faith, and to (I hope) give encouragement and meal ideas to those seeking them. Now that all of our children are old enough to keep most or all of the fast, we are trying to live out the Lenten Rule more closely. Nejat is still pretty young and not required to keep the fast, so we make sure we plan for her to eat on strict fast days, should she choose that, and she knows that she can eat foods that we cannot if we want to avoid wasting food or if she needs it. However, even she attempts to fast with the Church with us.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination. So, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.

• Sunday - Quinquagesima
  Breakfast: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Fruit Plate, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Pork and Chile Burritos, Mexican Rice, Black Beans with Corn and Tomatoes, Hot Sauces, Green Salad
• Monday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: BLTs, French Fries, Pickles, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday - Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and Feast of Saint Martinian of Palestine
  Breakfast: Homemade Cheese and Veggie Platter with Olive Oil and Za'atar, Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pancakes with Chantilly Cream and Raspberry Preserves, Sausages, Ice Cream
• Wednesday - Ash Wednesday
  Dinner: Possibly a Tahina and Date Syrup Sandwich with Sliced Oranges for Nejat
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Onesimus
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: North African Style Vegetables, Rice, Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Croatian Roux Soup with Croutons, Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Cereal, Fruit, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Thai Food with Family

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Lent, Mardi Gras, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Quinquagesima, Tales from the Kitchen