Getting Ready for Lent

Tomorrow is "Shrove Tuesday" and the day before Ash Wednesday the start of Lent.
It's time to start getting ready physically and spiritually for this holy season.
It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins.
Shrove Tuesday is sometimes called Pancake Day after the fried batter recipe traditionally eaten on this day.
But there's more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes or taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots.

Where Lenten disciplines were strictly observed, this was the last chance to let off steam. The pancake tradition arose from the need to use up all the fat and meat scraps before the Lenten fast began.

‘Mardi Gras’, a term we use somewhat loosely as a fancy name for a fete or carnival, means (literally) ‘fat Tuesday and refers to this same day.
Shrove Tuesday is actually rather a mixture. Along with the carnival atmosphere is the idea of ‘shriving’, which is an old word for confessing. (‘Shrove’ is the past tense of ‘shrive’.) Shrove Tuesday has been observed as a day when people confess their sins and ask forgiveness so that their spirits are cleansed for the beginning of Lent.

Fasting - by giving something up - is an old Lenten custom. Many people think it’s a better idea to take something up like doing some special reading, or special study or even a Lent course.

Tomorrow CTiS will be launching their Lent Course "Lentwise". Building on last years "Beatitudes" couse where we began to develop our understanding of what and how an Christian should behave, this years course will look at how we get through our day to day live as we strive to be more Christ like.

As part of my "taking something up" this study will be part of that. As we progress through I'll be posting reflections. I don't see Lent as a dreary time, for me, it's kind of a quiet time for reflection and study and a time to serve others more.”

Lent is a time of self-discipline and self-denial to help us focus on the spiritual aspects of life, it doesn't mean you can't eat anything; it just means you're more mindful.