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 Gospel reading is often that of the feeding of the 5000, the only miracle of Jesus that is presented in each of the Gospels. This year, it is the Prodigal Son. It is the fourth full week of Lent in the West, and just past the half way point. The austerity of the altar is relieved a little with the adornment of roses, the flower of the Theotokos, and 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 by permitting dairy.

It is looking like rather than preparing the large meal I normally do for the Paschal feast, we might be participating in a potluck instead, which is a little weird after so many years of making everything. The kids are trying to convince me to make everything, anyway, and just serve it during Bright Week. I don't know about making everything, but will try to figure out how to include as much as possible. We would bring the waraq 'ounab (in fact, I will be preparing and freezing them for us to cook on the day of the potluck, probably this weekend) and some laban bi khiyar for sure to the potluck, and perhaps baq'lawa - I'd need to assemble and freeze it ahead of time, and bring a jar of the sheera for the day of baking - and a gluten-free Persian love cake. For breaking the fast after the vigil, I might make sirnica and Italian bacon and romano Pasqua bread to bring with some ham and strawberries and red eggs.

Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. May your Lent strengthen you.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Sliced Tomatoes, Toast, Coffee, Tea, and Milk
  Dinner: Vegetarian Pastitsio, Sides/Salads/Fruit brought by Parish, Ice Cream
• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Cinnamon, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Asian Style Chickpea Salad, Mandarin Oranges
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Instant Pot Aloo Gobi, Basmati Rice, Green Salad, Sliced Oranges
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Grapefruit, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Potato and Poblano Stew with Crisp Tortilla Strips (no cheese), Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing, Sliced Apples
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Avocado Toast (GF for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Aya Yorgi Fasulye Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs), Sliced Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Potato Pancakes, Applesauce, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Ethiopian Cabbage, Garlic Turmeric Rice, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Ful, Harissa, Bread, Chopped Chopped Tomatoes, Onions, Radishes, and Olives, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta with Clam Sauce*, Green Salad, Strawberry Sorbet

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, Laetare, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen