Laetare Jerusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, qui in tristitia fuistis: ut exsultetis, et satiemini ab uberibus consolationis vestrae.

Be joyful, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.

Laetare is milk-joy Sunday. It is the Mother's Day of the Church, remembering the Church as our Mother and the Blessed Mother herself, who is both the mother of God and of all believers. The traditional Gospel reading is that of the feeding of he 5000, the only miracle of Jesus that is presented in each of the Gospels. It is the fourth full week of Lent in the West. The austerity of the altar is relieved a little with the adornment of roses, the flower of the Theotokos, nd the rose vestments. This is one of the Western Traditions that I would love to see in a unified Church. Much like Forgiveness Vespers from the East and the Imposition of Ashes in the West are both such powerful practices, I think this set of readings and prayers and the reinforcement of the earliest Church teachings on the Church as Mother and devotion to our Blessed Mother are powerfully presented in this little lightening of the fast.

We enjoyed our dairy today and got to celebrate Amira's birthday, though I think I overdid it, which is definitely not in the spirit of Lent. I'm trying to keep in mind Saint Gregory Palamas' words about the fast, and think of sharing our excess and leftovers with those who fast out of necessity, rather than choice. Even our prayers at church tonight echoed that, with prayers for those who fast because of war, famine, homelessness, or illness. Our fast is voluntary, theirs is not, and we must remember them in action, not simply in our thoughts. Next week is Passion Sunday, and then Palm Sunday follows that, which is a little startling. This year Lent has gone by so quickly - in all probability, it feels that way because of the break we took with the wedding and so forth. We are more than half way through Lent.

Evil DST is upon us again, and I really wish we could just ignore it. Workplaces can shift their hours, so can schools and activities, and we can just all go on in rational, real time. On the plus side, we had the winds of spring come through this weekend, and that gives me hope that we will find ourselves outside of winter misery sooner than later.

We found an incredible number of deals on excellent produce this past week, and we are enjoying that bounty. Again, this is just one of the ways that God shows His care for us. My favorite kind of pear is the Comice, and our Grocery Outlet had them for $0.79 a pound, which is a price I rarely see on other kinds of pears, let alone more "specialty" ones. We should be able to enjoy all the apples, oranges, pears, tangelos, and other produce I found for at least two weeks. We had to adjust our menu once last week, so we have a repeat this week, but I am looking forward to it, as well.

We are now in the last part of Lent, as I said, and preparing our hearts and homes for the Resurrection. I am looking forward to it so much. It is the highest feast of the Church year and my favorite holiday of all time. I wish we were celebrating together with the East. That is the only sorrow in it. My Bible study only has two more sections in it, so we will finish up with it the week before Holy Week, and be able to take our break, then begin again with another study.

Keep praying for us, and we continue to pray for you. Blessed Lent (and beginnings of Lent for our Eastern brethren).

• Sunday - Laetare Sunday
  Breakfast: Lemon Cream Cheese Butterhorn Bars, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Macaroni and Cheese, Dressed, Sliced Tomatoes, Cheese and Crackers, Mandarin Oranges, Cherry Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake
• Monday
  Breakfast: Tomato Toast with Toum, Strawberries, Tea with Honey and Coffee
  Dinner: Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup, Marinated Cucumbers and Onions, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Gregory the Great
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Peppers and Onions, Sourdough Toast, Tangelos, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Dopiazeh Aloo, Persian Herbed Rice, Salad/Fruit brought by Bible study members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mahjouba, Persian Chopped Salad, Date and Orange Salad
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia
  Breakfast: Black Bean and Hashbrown Breakfast Burritos with Salsa, Tangelos, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Paella Primavera, Green Salad, Sliced Pears
• Friday
  Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta with Mussels and Garlic, Steam Sautéed Carrots and Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Dill, Sliced Oranges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Mana'eesh, Sliced Cucumbers and Tomatoes, Sliced Pears, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Quick Sesame Noodles with Panfried Shellfish Mix, Fruit Plate

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: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Laetare, Lent, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen