Lent is almost here, so this is a temporary goodbye

[Redwolf]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it is my custom to take an internet "fast" during the season of Lent, which begins tonight at Midnight (it's currently 10:41 where I live) and ends on Easter (actually, just after the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday). So you don't have to drag out your calendars, that's 40 days, not counting Sundays (which aren't included in the Lenten fast).

I will be checking my email daily, so if anybody really wants to talk to me, feel free to drop me a line. I may also "lurk" a bit on Sundays, when the Lenten fast is not in effect, but won't post unless I have something really important to share (like if my Busman arrives...but since I just ordered it, that might be a wee bit premature). Oh yeah...and if I ever get my microphone to cooperate (or get another one), I may have my husband send a few more Elfsong clips to Tin Whistle Tunes.

I'll miss you all during this season, but, well...it IS supposed to be a sacrifice! On the upside, think of all the practice time I'll get in! Have a great 40+ days, and I'll "see" you all on Easter!

God Bless,

Redwolf

[nickt]

Now I know what Lent is. But I thought such fasts (like Ramadan too) were to do with abstaining from physical food or certain kinds of food - where does the internet come in? (Doubtless Redwolf will be abstaining from replying, and that's understood and respected, but maybe there's a Christian out there who can advise?)

[Zubivka]

Bravo, Redwolf!

Nickt : some fast by the rules, the dogma : no food fefore dawn, or no animal fat for 40 days, no oysters if not properly slaughtered, or whatever the local pope/priest/ksendz/rabi/whatchamytollah decided as general guidance. Now, some go by the essence, not rule; abstaining from what's your weakness is the essence.

I had a Russian orthodox friend, who abode by the trad' rules--no animal fat for a start, than a gradually increasing limitation of his diet. Down to total fast (no food whatsoever, just water) from Holy Friday to easter Sunday midnight. He'd go to the Alexander Nevsky Russian cathedral of Paris, with boiled eggs in a pocket, to break the fast. Now these were the trad' rules. He added his own : heavy smoker, he abstained from smoking for 40 days. He had a pack of non-filter pure-choke Gauloises in the other pocket!

I'm a baptized church-basher, non-believer proselytist now; however, I might synch quitting smoking with Easter fast... Symbols have their power. And fasting is older than christianity.

[brewerpaul]

I once heard Yom Kippur described as instant Lent : nothing at all to eat or drink, but it's only 26 hr...

Wishing you an easy Lent, and a meaningful Easter

[Flyingcursor]

Abstinence of some form or another in an effort to achieve a spiritual goal has been practiced by most cultures in some form or another throughout human history. The abstinence of foods are most common but some behaviors such as abstinence of "marital relations" for a given time also occur.

Lent is specific to Roman Catholicism and a few, not quite Catholic but kind of close denominations like Lutheren and Anglican.

The origins are debatable but ancient writings of the Church Fathers indicate the subject of a pre-Easter fast go back at least to the third century A.D. Some controversy regarding the nature, time and duration of the fast existed side by side with the controversy of the date of Easter.

For a detailed explanation see:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09152a.htm

Anyway it's an interesting subject for someone interested.

[nickt]

Nickt : some fast by the rules, the dogma : no food fefore dawn, or no animal fat for 40 days, no oysters if not properly slaughtered, or whatever the local pope/priest/ksendz/rabi/whatchamytollah decided as general guidance. Now, some go by the essence, not rule; abstaining from what's your weakness is the essence.

And fasting is older than christianity.

Thanks Zoob - "abstaining from your weakness" makes sense. That it's older than Christianity I know - Jesus was a devout Jewish rabbi and fasting is/was an integral part of Judaism. Older than that too - remember the scene in "A Man Called Horse" where Richard Harris has to fast before the Ceremony of the Sun? (Yes I know that was based in the 1820s, but such practices are thousands of years old).

[Isilwen]

Good luck with your Lent, Redwolf, and hope to see you again in a few weeks!

[chattiekathy]

Bye for a while Redwolf, We will miss you.

Kathy

[The Weekenders]

Fruitful contemplation to ya, Red!

[Sunnywindo]

Fare thee well Redwolf, and see ya in fourty days! (And a few Sundays.)

[Paul]

Farewell, Redwolf. We'll miss ya! Good luck with your fast. See you in 40 days.

-Paul

[E = Fb]

Hey Nickt, here's the explanation of the lent thing. Protestants believe that Christ's sacrifice wipes the slate completely clean. The Roman church teaches that there are two negative consequences to sin, the spiritual / eternal on the one hand, and the temporal on the other. For them, Christ's sacrifice deals with the former. To clean the slate on the latter we have to do penance, either in this life (fasting, praying, doing good works, etc.) or in the next...suffering in Purgatory for a period of time. That's it in a nutshell. Periods prior to special feasts (Christmas, Easter) are ideal times to do penance becuase they prepare the soul for the event.

[elendil]

back in the mid-80's we lived in PG for a year, south of you (our parish was the carmel mission, where our fourth was baptized after being born on christmas eve with a huge moon out). but we took a day trip up to big basin one saturday, and a few trips up hiway 1 to SF for fiddle strings: that's some sacrifice, living out there! maybe for lent you should switch abodes with someone less fortunate?
but have a holy lent. perhaps you could spare some prayers and pangs for my mom, who'll be having an operation for cancer within the week.

[rebl_rn]

There's a difference between abstaining and fasting - food-wise speaking, abstaining is decreasing the QUALITY of food (i.e. no meat, no dessert, no chocolate, etc.). Fasting is decreasing the QUANTITY of food. Some days, like Ash Wednesday, are considered both a day of fasting and abstaining. Fridays during Lent are days of abstinence, in the Roman Catholic tradition meaning no meat.

"giving something up" for Lent isn't just to "wipe the slate clean" - it is also done as an act of love and a small sacrifice to make to the One who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

Beth

[cowtime]

Oh no, Redwolf, I was counting on you coming up with a few tunes for me to play during communion during Lent. The priest just told me of this idea today after the Ash Wednesday service. I'm having to play the organ too during Lent and so I'm covered up with tunes to practice. I generally play a plainsong or something similar during communion but the priest wants silence for the processional, and very quiet tunes for the first few Sundays, building up as Lent progresses.