Funny how my computer doesn't read "shrove" as a word. Interesting that the computer doesn't have access to Google...
Just a quick aside about yesterday's festivities. Thanks to everyone who came to visit me yesterday. At the end of the day my stat counter hit just shy of 300 hits (298 if you must know) and I now have 18 shiny new followers. Thanks to SITS for all my new friends!
Okay, back to Shrove Tuesday. I like saying shrove because it puts squiggly red lines all through my text box. Moving on...
When I was a girl my parents took us to church during Lent. A lot. I think it's one of the reasons I'm a "Christmas Christian" today. I just Googled that term and it looks like I made it up so I'll explain that I mean that I'm a Christian who only goes to church once a year. Guess when?
So the point of Lent is to give up something you love for 40 days until Easter to reflect the suffering of Jesus in the days up to his death and resurrection. It's supposed to be difficult and you are supposed to pray to get yourself through all the hardest parts of it. So no points if you give up haggis or chocolate covered squid brains. Unless you love that stuff, that is. My most memorable Lent sacrifices have been tv, meat and booze. Let me tell you, the prayers were coming fast and furious those years. You don't realize how long 40 days is until you have 5 full video tapes of back episodes of Coronation Street to catch up on.
Nowadays I just stick to making pancakes for dinner on the Tuesday night and I'll probably serve a vegetarian meal every Friday until Easter. If I remember. Piss poor effort, I know, but my parents were so religious growing up that I think I have some leeway here. I'm a good person so I'm pretty sure heaven will still be waiting for me even though the next time I set foot in church I'll be rocking my jingle bell Santa hat.
kxx
3 comments:
Hi Karen, fellow Canadian blogger here. Congratulations on your SITS post! I too am a Christmas Christian- okay that's a lie, I don't even go at Christmas anymore. I figure you don't have to go to church to be liked by God.
I've joined to follow you. Stop by sometime:)
Love this one! I still call it "Phat Tuesday" and I haven't been to church in a while. Let's just say a little longer than you. So maybe it will be a nice veggie meal on Fridays. Could not possibly give up Glee or chocolate, but I figure I might be doing enough good to argue a case to the big Guy not to throw me downstairs when I show up!
i'm going to have to disagree with your interpretation of the purpose of lent being to give up something; giving up things isn't even a uniform practice across mainstream denominations.
we are an Easter people. that's the whole point of it.
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