Posted on 03/15/2004 5:44:32 AM PST by Desdemona
A Lenten Feast?
03/15/04
Some think Lent is a time for fasting. I see it as a time of feasting. I come to this conclusion based on the story of the fig tree in Luke 13. Three years without bearing fruit. What could be the problem? The owner figures that it is simply a dud and wants to cut it down.
The vinedresser, a little more in touch with nature, comes to a different conclusion. Maybe all that is needed to turn things around is a bit of fertilizer.
As we look at Christians in America, we have to be honest. A full 82% of us say we are Christians. So where’s the fruit? We’re certainly feeding ourselves often enough, with about 67% per cent of us overweight. Obviously what we’re consuming is not quite the right nourishment to produce the desired results.
So Lent is a time to examine our diet and make some changes. First, let’s cut the junk food from the diet so we are not so bloated. It could be the chips, fries, burgers, and cokes that drain our pocketbooks and make us lethargic. Or it could be too many hours of radio, TV, and the web which fill our heads with so much noise that we can’t sit still, quiet down and listen to God. Let’s turn it all off for a while.
Yes, this is fasting. But the goal is to save our appetite so that we can feast on other things such as the Word of God. When’s the last time you sat down and read an entire book of the Bible, from start to finish? (if not all in one sitting, over the course of a few days). Exodus makes for a good Lenten read, since I Corinthians 10 tells us that Israel’s odyssey was for our sake, to provide an example. When was the last time you identified a short, poignant Bible text and memorized it, repeating it daily, even several times a day, meditating on it, applying it to various aspects of your life?
How about the Eucharist, the greatest nourishment of all? Lent is a great time to go more often, even daily. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass is like stimulating the appetite before the meal (aperitif) or taking time to digest it afterwards (digestif). Either way, adoration helps us derive more benefit from our Eucharistic feast.
Then there is the time we devote to entertainment. Could we not redirect some of those hours to entertainment that nourishes our spiritual life? Mel Gibson’s film on the Lord’s passion was released on Ash Wednesday for a reason. It is offered as a Lenten meditation to help us understand the shocking consequences of sin and the astounding Love that lays down His life for His friends. Go to this movie and take someone. If you fear the violence of The Passion of The Christ would be too much for you, rent Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth, and watch it with family and friends. If you prefer books, read the life of a saint or the powerful religious fiction of an author such as C.S. Lewis.
Finally, one of the most spiritually nourishing and energizing experiences of all is giving of ourselves. We call it almsgiving. It is in giving that we receive, says the Prayer of St. Francis. If we save money from fasting, let’s give it away. There are the corporal works of mercy such as feeding the hungry. Then there are the spiritual works of mercy, such as feeding the spiritually hungry, the millions of inactive and nominal Christians and unchurched people that starve to death for lack of the Word of God. Soup kitchens and evangelization ministries both need our support.
Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. Three inter-related fertilizers to help the barren fig tree bear fruit. But keep in mind the owner's directive — fertilize it for a year, and if we see no results, fetch the axe. So no more excuses. No more procrastinating. Let’s vow to make this Lent count. There may not be another.
Who changed the L-rd's Passover to Easter, the Pagan feast of Ishtar of Babylon
ON THE KEEPING OF EASTER.
From the Letter of the Emperor to all those not present at the Council.
(Found in Eusebius, Vita Const., Lib. iii., 18-20.)
It was declared to be particularly unworthy for this, the holiest of all festivals, to follow the custom[the calculation] of the Jews, who had soiled their hands with the most fearful of crimes, and whose minds were blinded. In rejecting their custom,(1) we may transmit to our descendants the legitimate mode of celebrating Easter, which we have observed from the time of the Saviour's Passion to the present day[according to the day of the week]. We ought not, therefore, to have anything in common with the Jews, for the Saviour has shown us another way; our worship follows a more legitimate and more convenient course(the order of the days of the week); and consequently, in unanimously adopting this mode, we desire, dearest brethren, to separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews, for it is truly shameful for us to hear them boast that without their direction we could not keep this feast. How can they be in the right, they who, after the death of the Saviour, have no longer been led by reason but by wild violence, as their delusion may urge them? They do not possess the truth in this Easter question; for, in their blindness and repugnance to all improvements, they frequently celebrate two passovers in the same year. We could not imitate those who are openly in error. How, then, could we follow these Jews, who are most certainly blinded by error? for to celebrate the passover twice in one year is totally inadmissible. But even if this were not so, it would still be your duty not to tarnish your soul by communications with such wicked people[the Jews].
http://www.catholicfirst.com/thefaith/churchfathers/volume37/ecouncil3705.cfm
a bondslave to the Christ
chuck
Does Scripture dictate celebrating the Passover differently now? Or do you still celebrate Passover the same way OT Jews did?
I agree Christ IS our Passover and it's entirely appropriate for us to concentrate on His sacrifice and ressurection instead of the outmoded lamb. (We call that Easter, but the name is irrelevant). I'm just wondering what Scriptural basis you have for the change?
I change nothing, We celebrate it as before but with the full understanding of the feast of Passover.
the only change was made in 325 AD at Nicea.
And if you reflect on the feast of G-d: Passover and not the Pagan feast of Ishtar of Babylon, you will see the truth.
a bondslave to the Christ
chuck
Gotta go; see you later.
c
VERY interesting take. "Nothing is really the same, but we haven't changed anything."
Do you sacrifice a lamb? Or do you celebrate that the Lamb has already been sacrificed? If the second, where did God command that.
I'm afraid you're in the same boat - just with a different name.
Oh boy... Do NOT mistake chuck for a girl! Believe me... I made that mistake a year or two ago and he put some kind of vodoo curse on my PC. (just kidding Chuck).
Pretentiousness is at the heart of this anti-Catholic's mindless ramblings.
I know it comes across that way. And he certainly has his moments. But he's largely genuine. He isn't "pretending" it's more Scriptural... he believes it's more appropriate. What he lacks in a "papa" or "brother" relationship he makes up for in respect for the Father that is too often lacking elsewhere.
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