Happy V’day Fasting

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Complying with Ash Wednesday traditions

What a perfect way to start the season of Lent — on Valentine’s Day — a day of love kicking off the season of reflection leading up to the greatest love story of all time, Easter.

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on Feb. 14. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country, according to Wikipedia.

The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery and sending greeting cards known as “valentines.”

In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart,” as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy, called Saint Valentine’s Malady.

Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards, which most of us still love to receive.

Two for One

If you were planning on giving your valentine chocolates this year, you might want to make sure the gift would not cause them to break their chosen fast. Today is Ash Wednesday and marks the start of the season of fasting for body, mind and spiritual purification and contemplation.

“Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins Ash Wednesday and ends Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means ‘spring.’ The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry,” said the United Methodist Church website, umc.org.

Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others.

Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter” and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection, umc.org said.

Acceptable Gifts

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website, usccb.org, said during Lent, “We are asked to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to service by giving alms and to sacrifice self-control through fasting. Many know of the tradition of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent, but we are also called to practice self-discipline and fast in other ways throughout the season.”

The past two years writing for Ash Wednesday seems to be light hearted about fasting meat — for South Louisiana residents it is hardly a sacrifice — we love seafood and have no problem eating it on Fridays. In fact, many people find the habit of eating seafood on Fridays to be a year long occurrence.

The fact remains, in strong Christian community, fasting is to be reverently considered as part of honoring God.

“The key to fruitful observance of these practices is to recognize their link to baptismal renewal,” the Bishops site said. “We are called not just to abstain from sin during Lent, but to true conversion of our hearts and minds as followers of Christ. We recall those waters in which we were baptized into Christ’s death, died to sin and evil and began new life in Christ.”

Fruits of Fasting

One organization has taken a different approach to fasting this year. New Iberia’s Solomon House is asking individuals to donate the cost of one meal to feed the hungry.

“The season of Lent is the framework for the latest fundraising effort by Solomon House. The food pantry and social support organization, an outreach mission of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, initiated ‘Forty Days of Fasting’ as a fundraiser, volunteer Charleen Markle said. “You may want to donate the cost of a fast food meal for yourself or the cost of dinner for your family. No donation is too small or too large.”

All proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to support the mission of Solomon House to meet the needs of the community by providing spiritual enrichment, support and guidance through the challenges of daily life, Markle said.

To add to the program, small tins have been made available at area retailers including A&E Gallery, 335 W. St. Peter St. No store purchase is necessary, but for only $2.99, families can take the tin home to drop in loose change or larger bills until it is full. Instructions are to purchase the can, fill it with donations, return to the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany and repeat.

Donations can also be dropped off at The Daily Iberian during regular business hours or mailed to Solomon House, 520 Center St. New Iberia, LA 70560.

Now that’s a fast that touches the heart as well as the physical needs of families in the communities.

Back to Food

The big holiday and reasons and ways to fast have been explored — let’s get back to food and this special day. As usual, if you haven’t made reservations at your favorite restaurant, it may be too late. It’s never to late to grab a couple of great steaks, a bottle of wine, or non-alcoholic bubbly, fresh vegetables from your favorite grocer and make dinner for your special someone.

Depending on your individual likes, today’s recipe selections may or may not be to your choice, but if someone was cooking for me, they wouldn’t go wrong serving anything from this special menu.

Don’t forget to light the candles, turn on your favorite romantic music, set the table for two including fresh flowers and if you’re not making a fancy desert, chocolates will do.