Ash Wednesday and St. Valentines Day

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a 46-day period of preparation for the joyful Easter celebration. The word lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "lengthen"; it refers to the longer days of spring. 

Lent is about mortality and transformation; death and rebirth. Marcus Borg says "It means dying to an old way of being, and being born into a new way of being, a way of being centered once again in God."

And today is also Valentines Day, a day for love and romance! It's a very curious and fascinating combination of events.

Agenda for Lent and Valentines Day:
1. Journal queries

2. Fast and simplify my life
3. Send valentines

4. Write a daily Lenten calendar

5. Hang up the Lady Lent

6. Make heart-shaped pretzels

1. Journal queries:
At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I take the time to notice the “thin place” where the ordinary and the sacred meet. I spend time each day in study and prayer. But I also observe Lent as a time of growth and compassionate action.

In what way am I trying to grow right now?
What compassionate action is calling me?
What might I fast from or do without in order to prepare for the joy of rebirth?

In what condition are my friendships?

List the friends that I want to pay special attention to this month, those I feel distant from or whom I want to understand better and appreciate more; plan one small thing to do for each to nurture our relationship.

From my journal: I've been working at being more mindful-- being aware of how my thoughts wander, feeling grateful and savoring life, showing greater compassion, and expressing all of that with kindness, engagement, and contribution. It's a pretty fuzzy effort, easy to forget about or minimize, especially when I get busy. 

A good example of that is my mealtime habit of eating in front of the TV or the computer; it's pretty much impossible to savor food or feel grateful when I'm watching Chicago Fire!

2. Set my intentions for fasting: 
At Lent I always choose something to temporarily reduce or cut out of my life, as a reminder that what I truly need is the nurturing of Spirit. Sometimes I cut out a particular food, or a habit or activity- it could be evening meetings, computer games, coffee, or acts of indifference. I try to choose something that is a good symbol of how I am trying to grow.

This year my focus for Lent is Mindful Contribution. And as a symbol of that goal, I plan to fast from screentime at mealtime. I will eat each of my meals in a more meditative way- saying a prayer, giving attention to the food, perhaps writing a letter or writing in my journal, talking to my family, or reading something contemplative.

I'm also going to continue to explore social justice issues, and take some compassionate actions. I'll do a little study, prayer, journaling, artwork, or action each day... I don't know how this will evolve, but it will be revealed to me, week by week!

3. Send Valentines:

Saint Valentine was a third-century Roman Christian who died on February 14. The poet Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle probably invented many of the romantic legends about Saint Valentine, in the fourteenth century. 

Valentine made by a student of mine.

It became a custom after that for a man to write a romantic poem to send to his beloved on St. Valentine's Day. Very fancy paper cards, with lace and ribbons, became popular in the 1840's, and that custom expanded into sending cards to Mom and Dad, and friends of all kinds.

I like to make fancy valentines (instuctions here), but this year I painted a valentine to print and send to all my friends and family.

4. Write a daily Lenten calendar:
I really like the calendars that some churches publish for Lent, with a daily reading and a task of some kind. (I found a really great list of free online calendars for 2018 at Mercy World.) 

As usual, I've made my own Lenten calendar, and the first week is posted just above this entry.

5. Hang up the Lady Lent:
Greek children make a paper doll for Lent, called Kyra Sarakosti (Lady Lent). The Kyra always folds her hands in prayer, and she has no mouth because she is fasting. Also, she has seven legs, representing the number of weeks in Lent. Each Saturday, the children fold back a leg as they count down the weeks.

I made a Lady Lent a couple years ago that I can use each year- Now she hangs in my living room as a visual reminder of the countdown to Easter. The instructions are here.

6. Make heart-shaped pretzels:

Pretzels are a traditional bread for Lent because they are made with no dairy or eggs.

Pretzels were invented by an Italian monk as a reward to children who learned their prayers. The strips of baked dough are folded to resemble arms crossing the chest. The monks called the breads "little arms" (bracellae). From this Latin word, the Germanic people later coined the term "pretzel."

Since it's Valentines Day, I made them into hearts!

Ingredients: 

• 1 pkg. yeast 
• 3 c. flour 
• 1 Tbsp. sugar 
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1 c. very warm water (130ºF) 
• 6 c. water 
• 4 Tbsp. baking soda 
• coarse salt

Yield: 10-12 pretzels-

1- Combine the yeast, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 c. very warm water (130ºF) and mix well.

2- Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth (I used my Kitchenaide). Cover with a towel and let stand for 10 minutes.



3- Divide the dough into 10-12 pieces (I made 6 medium and 4 larger), and form each into a long rope. Twist into a crossed arm shape- or try a heart- and place on a small piece of waxed paper. Let the pretzels rise 20 minutes.

4- Meanwhile, oil 2 baking sheets, preheat the oven to 400ºF, and stir in the baking soda into a 6 c. water in a large pot. Heat the soda bath to boiling.










5- Carefully tip one pretzel off the waxed paper into the soda bath. Boil for 15 seconds, then lift out with a slotted spoon, drain, and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the pretzels.

Pretzels ready to bake.

6- Sprinkle the pretzels with coarse salt. Bake 20 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.





6. Mealtime Prayer Habit:
Since I'm using mealtimes as a focus for my mindfulness work, I've decided to try to practice a habit of prayer at mealtimes. I've never been particularly good at prayer so this will be an experiment, to see if I can sustain an effort and improve my praying skills.

I'll start today with an Argentinian song (To watch a group of children sing and sign this song -- so cute!!!-- check out this YouTube video.)

God bless to us our bread,
And give bread to all those who are hungry
And hunger for justice to those who are fed.
God bless to us our bread.
~words and music by Osvaldo Catena