Day 1 of Week 20 – 03/03/25

This week is a little different.

On Wednesday we have Ash Wednesday, the start of a new Liturgical Season, so this week is split in two.

Monday and Tuesday are still in:

Ordinary time

During this time we’re still thinking about how our Faith can grow and how we can draw closer to God as our focus.

On Wednesday we will have an Ash Wednesday service, to mark the beginning of Lent, and to remind us we are now in a very different liturgical season, one that focuses on our shortcomings, and our own sins.

From Thursday onwards, we settle into Lent and start looking at the “Three Pillars” of Lent: the three actions Jesus calls us to do, that we make a priority in Lent.

As always, let us turn to God’s Word to guide us through these ideas.

As Jesus says, there is a time for celebrating, and a time for fasting. For now, we are still celebrating, and on Tuesday we make preparations for Lent by celebrating that little bit more, before the time for fasting begins.

Historically, when rich food like meat, eggs, and diary produce, were widely fasted from during Lent, a tradition of using these up before Lent started came into being in this country.

If you’re about to give up eating rich foods, you wouldn’t want to waste them, so they are all used up on one day, which has come to be known as Pancake Day in our culture, as many people used up all their eggs and dairy by making pancakes.

But we are not blindly celebrating without a thought for the future, so many made a special effort to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation on the day before Lent starts, to ensure they enter in this special time in the best way possible. To be absolved of your sins was called being “shriven”, which has evolved to “shrove” which is where the name Shrove Tuesday comes from.

What are you going to do today to celebrate before the time of fasting?

If you have any traditions, from your culture or your own personal family, please do let us know in the comments, and I hope you have a great Shrove Tuesday!