What the Shrove?

Pieter Bruegel the Elder: The Fight Between Carnival and Lent (detail), 1559

 COLLECT FOR SHROVE TUESDAY:

God of infinite mercy, grant that we who know your compassion

may rejoice in your forgiveness and gladly forgive others
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour
who is alive with with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.
Amen

At the gym this morning my Roman Catholic acquaintance smiled and said "Ash Wednesday tomorrow", as though it was Christmas.  I responded with "and pancakes today." He gave me a quizzical look, so I followed up with "Shrove Tuesday." I figured an observant RC would be all over the flapjacks today, but it didn't seem to register.

We didn't grow up with Pancake Tuesday because we both came from staunchly Protestant homes. They weren't anti-Catholic, we just didn't go in for the seasons of the church year, and we certainly do popish things such as smudging ourselves with ashes.Lent? What was Lent? 

The idea behind Shrove Tuesday/Pancake Tuesday/ Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras is to do a spiritual and kitchen housecleaning in preparation for Lent. The faithful were to head to confession where they would make a clean slate by confessing sins. Then they wtere shriven, assigned penance by the priest followed by absolution. The households of those same faithful would clear out foods which were too luxurious for the austerity and fasting of Lent. In some places Carnival and Mardi Gras is celebrated as a party to get one's ya-yas out before the season of self-reflection. Carnival may come from "carne" which is meat. Have a party, eat up the meat and eggs, and start fasting. Good luck with that one. 

We will eat some pancakes today, but we won't party until midnight. Confession? I won' t be heading to my nearest RC church but I am reflecting on my role in a culture which seems to be careening along in a mode of consumer excess despite dire warnings about a climate emergency. I am also feeling contrite about the miserable relationship our governments, and therefore all of us as citizens, have with Indigenous peoples in this country. God, we've made a mess of things, and faith communities have been a significant part of the problem through our history. What should I fast from? Perhaps the culture of outrage and grievance  which is fueled by social media? I wonder if this is possible? 

All I can say is, thank God for maple syrup!

Are there pancakes in your future? Wild parties? Any other comments? 



Mardi Gras New Orleans