Giving Up or Taking On?

The season of Lent begins today.  Ash Wednesday is the first day of the season.  Yesterday was “Shrove” or “Fat” Tuesday.  These are special days developed by the Christian Church over the centuries. 

Ash Wednesday is a special (holy) day of prayer and repentance introducing the six weeks of penitence before Easter.  Easter for the western Church falls on April 21st this year.  For the eastern Church, Easter will be celebrated on April 28th.  Ash Wednesday gets its name from the tradition of placing ashes on one’s forehead as a sign of repentance.  The ashes are sometimes obtained by burning the palms from the previous year’s celebration of Palm Sunday.  The use of ashes probably comes from the phrase “sackcloth and ashes” used in the Old Testament as a symbol of debasement, mourning, and/or repentance.  A person wanting to show his or her repentant heart would often don sackcloth (a coarse material), sit in a pile of ashes, and put those ashes on top of his/her head.  Many people as part of their penitence give up something during Lent.  Some give up eating chocolate or meat, still others give up some habit, and others give up their use of Facebook or something similar (for the duration of Lent—only to take up whatever they have given up again when Lent is over).  This “style” of penitence during the season of Lent, especially the “giving up” of something (like chocolate, meat, or Facebook that will be taken back on when Lent comes to an end), and often making a “show of it” has never made much sense to me.

The day before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday or “fat” Tuesday.  This is the day when those who are about to give up stuff as their penitence during Lent gorge themselves with pancakes, pastries, and all the other “stuff” they plan to give up.  This, too, has never made much sense to me.

I think the better way would be to “Take On” something rather than to “Give Up” something.  Why not take on being a better neighbor, husband, wife, friend, son or daughter?  Why not take on a stranger for a friend and similar things of that nature—things more in tune with the spirit of the teachings of Jesus?  Alas, traditions, whether rational or irrational, must continue, (or so we say), even if they don’t make much sense .  I’m sure God has a hard time with our antics.