Repenting of Everything but Gluttony

National Pancake Day is next Tuesday, Feb 20. So get your free short stack at IHOP and, while you're there, donate to the Children's Miracle Network.

But National Pancake Day isn't just a gimmick; it's actually Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins (Ash Wednesday). What's ironic is that "shriving" means to hear confessions and "shrove" Tuesday is supposed to be a day of repentance. But because Lent is a time of material abstinence, there's a lot of extra food to get rid of, like fatty meat and eggs. So there would be a feast on Shrove Tuesday to use up the stuff that wouldn't last 40 days. These feasts led to the day being known as Mardi Gras (fat Tuesday) and Pancake Day.

Instead of a spiritually sober day of repentance and reflection, it became of a day of feasting and revelry. One last fling before the lock-down.

Good grief.

I can sympathize with the good intentions behind Lent, but instead of acting spiritually bipolar, why not act in moderation all of the time? Live a life of quiet satisfaction, neither starving nor gorging yourself. Repent everyday for each day's sins and be temperate and self-controlled. This sounds more like the Christian life that is described in Scripture than the yo-yo binge of concessions and demands that have marred much of Church history.