On Lent

"It's lent. Point of info: lent is derived from the germanic word for spring (modern german = lentz). So lent is the time when we grow and bloom, not the winter of our punishment by deprivation. And at the end of this spring we celebrate the passover - not passing over to something other than the spring which we have been observing but passing into the never-ending springtime of eternal life. Lent is the time to struggle at doing what the resurrection enables us always to do. We struggle to align our desires and sense of what we need to the actual reality of God's providence, we teach ourselves how to enjoy God (Psalm 103: he satisfies your desires with good things).


We celebrate at the culmination of the spring of Lent the resurrection not primarily of ourselves but of Christ (it's only his "spiritual progress" that matters; that we can know anything about). We also celebrate the resurrection of everyone who has made Christ's resurrection their own. All ye who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ."


-Herman Fields


[I love the idea that we grow and bloom in depravation, into spring, and through passover.  I also love the fact that, since I gave up meat for lent, my children have followed suit and given up the following: 
Ayden: broccoli (he loves broccoli, FTR)
Matthew: carrots (he does not love carrots, FTR)
Riley: crackers (he likes crackers a medium amount)
Amarys: we debated, but determined that you must be old enough to understand lent to participate in it.  Which is a very protestant idea as opposed to Orthodox (Herman's Christianity of choice), now that I think about it.  Consequently, Matthew learned that it is possible to pray silently, in your head, because he was curious about me praying whenever I think about the fact that I am fasting]