This really is a transition day that has developed over the centuries. Today is the day to rid the house of fats, leavens and sweets as a way of preparing for the Lenten fast. The transition comes in as we say at least a temporary good-bye to a certain life-style and move into a different life-style.
Fat Tuesday becomes, in a sense, a symbolic stripping of indulgence to make room for reflection and retrospection. I always enter Lent with the best of intentions but I must confess that it is a struggle.
This year it is my hope to fast, not only from food, but also from activity. Oh, yes, I go to work and soon I leave for Valparaiso, Indiana for a time of diaconal formation and training, but, I am being very careful what all is scheduled. As we know, I can get all of these ideas and all of a sudden I am involved in more than I want to be, but I am praying that I can maintain the boundaries necessary for the quiet.
In the quiet I seek spiritual, emotional and physical healing and restoration. May this be a time for prayer, reading, exercise and quiet.
