Mardi Gras Madness

 

All over the world, people are donning beads and masks to celebrate Mardi Gras with masquerade parties, parades and pageantry.  People in the United Kingdom and elsewhere however are celebrating their own version of the pre-Lenten festivities by eating pancakes!  Shrove Tuesday, also called Pancake Tuesday has been commemorated for generations.  The word "Shrove" comes from an old English word that means to be absolved from sin.  Shrove Tuesday is one way people anticipate the Lenten fast by emptying out their refrigerators and pantries to make pancakes and other delights. 

During Lent, our liturgies too are somewhat “emptied”.  Plants are removed leaving the sanctuary sparse.  The music we sing is more contemplative.  The Gloria is omitted, and the Alleluia, known for its association with Easter is modified with different words which reflect the more solemn season. 

Like our Lenten liturgies, we too are invited by the disciplines of Lent to be "emptied";  to clear away the clutter and to simplify our lives.  We are called to fast in order to hunger more deeply for the living God and to remember those who daily go without the basic necessities of life.  We are called to simplify our schedules in order to make more room for prayer and for works of charity.  We are called to remove the masks we wear in order to take an honest look at ourselves, our lives, and our way of living.   We are called to empty ourselves of ourselves in order to let God fill us with God’s self.

O Lord, may the disciplines of Lent unite us more and more with the dying and rising of Jesus.  Amen.