“I confessed that I’d begun wearing the scapular, as a discipline; for penance and correction. ‘It’s my hair shirt, I explained. It reminds me I am weak and need help.'”
— Elizabeth Scalia
Wednesday is “Ash Wednesday.” It’s the beginning of the Lenten season where traditionally Christians give up something like smoking, drinking coffee or maybe cussing.
You can also take on something extra like visiting a nursing home or writing a nice letter to someone you’ve held a grudge against. There’s all kinds of things you can do or not do for the 40 days up until Easter (Sundays are considered little Easters so they don’t count, but you still keep your commitment on Sundays too.)
The idea of Lent is to remove some distractions and focus on God while maybe you practice something to make your life better or someone else’s life better; it’s a matter of self-discipline.
The practice of self-denial started as early as the second century as religious believers began a communal form of life in the deserts of North Africa. Saint Pachomius gathered followers into a common daily program of work, prayer, bodily exercise, self-discipline, frugality and a simple lifestyle. The pattern of living later evolved into the monastic lifestyle which can take on different but similar disciplines.
John the Baptist of the Bible was a desert-dweller — the wilderness they called it. He took to eating wild honey and locusts and wearing a garment of camel’s hair. From which some believe came the idea of wearing a “hair shirt.”
King Louis IX of France, Sir Thomas More of England and Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury were said to have worn coarse garments of goat’s hair next to their skin. The irritation was meant to be a constant reminder identifying with the suffering of Christ and/or reminding wearers of their own weaknesses.
For myself, I was wondering what I could do or not do for Lent. For my New Year’s resolution I had already given up shopping for a whole year. No buying a new hair shirt.
The few things I could think of I was unwilling to give up — and thinking of some new things I could do … well, I had just signed on for another volunteer activity and I started taking sign language in the Life Enrichment Program at The W. If I could learn sign language it might be helpful at some point but it’s really hard, which is part of the point.
Sam was encouraging when he said, “Well, it’s a whole other language, you know.”
Later I came home with two boxes of chocolates from a pre-Valentine party and started eating uncontrollably the chocolate truffles from the edges of the box. Then I decided to eat just the inner circle … then … and that’s when it hit me.
I could give up ice cream sandwiches, chocolates and all desserts. So then I could concentrate on God-given nourishing food like apples and oranges, grapes and nuts. I used to do that very well, but then came the chocolates. We’ll see.
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