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This day before Ash Wednesday, is commonly known as ‘shrove‘ or ‘pancake’ Tuesday.
This day is more widely known in many parts of the world as Mardi Gras (ie fat Tuesday), or ‘Carnival‘ (literally ‘goodbye meat’). These celebrations began years ago when the fasting really was tough: 40 days without meat or dairy products hence the bingeing on pancakes to empty the larder.
I recall at this time last year a friend who lives above the equator Facebooked: “Spring is in the air and it is GOOD!” That may be true for the northern hemisphere, but here in the south the leaves are beginning to turn and fall: it’s almost Autumn for us. ‘Lent’ as ‘spring’? That doesn’t sound right.
But the word Lent is actually derived from the Old English word meaning spring – lengthening of the days.
This made sense for the people who first celebrated the Christian feasts a couple of thousand years ago. Lent coincided with the season of spring so that Easter would come right at the time when the world of nature was springing into new life.
When we see Lent as an opportunity to spring-clean the life of the soul, wonderful possibilities of new life open up for us.
We realise that in the busy-ness and demands of daily life, we accumulate many thoughts, routines and practices that may not deliver the happiness that they promise.
To the extent that these accretions become habitual, our freedom is limited. To the extent that our freedom is limited, happiness eludes us.
And this is the kind of ‘spring-cleaning’ that is the purpose and heart of Lent: a letting go of all that limits us, restricts us, and therefore prevents us finding the happiness we seek.
No longer are we satisfied with the masks and disguises of Mardi Gras, but the reality of our sin being transformed by the risen Jesus who is God-in-love-with-us.
Who doesn’t love a good Spiritual Spring Clean. Lent is a perfect time to allow for ongoing and much needed spiritual vigilance, honest and accountable review and refinementand to journey with the Holy Spirit to guide us on the path of spiritual renewal. What a blessing and a privilege.
So good to have your reflection to start xeach day during Lent when I will be doing something extra each day….extra prayer…extr contemplation
I’m writing this on Thursday, after overlooking your emails for the last two days – today I noticed the word “Lent” in this morning’s one.” That’s when I realised that (due to my work schedule) I had completely overlooked/forgotten that yesterday was Ash Wednesday! So this morning I decided to start Lent again by going back to your first email and reading all three of them today.
I got as far as today’s title and gasped. “Pancake Tuesday”
“Strangely”, on Tuesday, I was absolutely overcome with the desire to make, of all things, pancakes – so I ceased the “busy-ness and demands of [my] daily life”, put what I was supposed to be doing aside, and made them. (I only make them on Christmas morning as a treat.)
This year, I might have forgotten that Lent was about to begin, but God used two ways of bringing it to my attention: On Tuesday, He placed the (unusual) desire to make pancakes in my heart, and today He used your devotionals to jog my memory! Thank you!