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Ashes to Ashes

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:00:18 +0000

It's that time of year again, when our friends and coworkers helpfully offer to wipe the black smudge off of our foreheads. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Roman Catholic Church. (For Eastern Rite Catholics, the first day of Lent was Clean Monday, the Monday before Ash Wednesday.)

As we begin our Lenten discipline, one excellent way to do a little bit more is to read the Bible each day. The Church provides us with selected spiritual readings for Lent. If you have children, check out these tips on how to incorporate these Lenten readings into your family life.

And remember--today is a day of strict fasting (no eating between meals, and only one full meal, with two smaller ones, for all Catholics between the ages of 18 and 60) and abstinence (no meat or food made with meat for all Catholics over the age of 14). For more details, see What Are the Rules for Fasting and Abstinence in the Catholic Church?.

(Catholics pray during an Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle, Washington, D.C., February 17, 2010. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.)

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It's Pancake Day!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:30:00 +0000

The day before Ash Wednesday is known by a lot of names, most famously Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday (which is what Mardi Gras means in French). Traditionally, it has also been called Shrove Tuesday--the day on which Christians were "shriven" or forgiven of their sins when they went to Confession.

Even as our thoughts turn to the penitential season of Lent, however, we enjoy one last day of feasting. That's why Shrove Tuesday is also often called Pancake Day, the day on which medieval Christians, whose Lenten fast was more strict than ours, used up their eggs, butter, and milk--all of which were forbidden during Lent--by making pancakes.

In England, the tradition continues even today, and Laura Porter, the About.com Guide to London Travel, has a wonderful series of articles on Pancake Day in London. She includes a delicious pancake recipe, and you can find tips on cooking pancakes (and more recipes) on the About.com GuideSite to Desserts and Baking.

So tonight, why not feed your kids breakfast for supper? As they prepare for the Ash Wednesday fast and abstinence, you can feed them pancakes and bacon and tell them the story of how Christians in earlier times went all 40 days of Lent without any meat, eggs, and dairy products. Then, as they pick their jaws up off the floor, you can hand out some Pancake Day Puzzles to help them learn a little bit more about this last day of feasting before Lent.

And if pancakes aren't your style, check out this extensive list of Fat Tuesday Recipes for other Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday foods and traditions!

(Photo © Barb Rolek, Licensed to About.com, Inc.)

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Novena of the Week: The Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Among Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, one of the most popular practices during Lent is the frequent praying of the Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian. A fourth-century deacon who was named a doctor of the church by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, Saint Ephrem the Syrian wrote many hymns, prayers, and biblical commentaries.

In three short verses, the Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian sums up the goal of our Lenten journey: to renounce our vices and bad habits, to adopt their corresponding virtues, and to focus on our sins rather than on the sins of others.

During our novena this week, try to pray the Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian immediately upon rising and at least one other time during the day. And if you find this prayer spiritually fruitful, continue praying it throughout Lent, even once our novena has ended.

(Icon of Saint Ephrem the Syrian, from Meryemana Kilesesi, Diyarbakr, Turkey. Public domain.)

When Does Lent Really Start?

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:00:35 +0000

For most Catholics, Lent begins in two days, on Ash Wednesday. For Eastern Rite Catholics, however, today is the first day of Lent (or Great Lent, as it is called by Eastern Rite Catholics and Eastern Orthodox). Today is known as Clean Monday, as a reminder that we should begin Lent with good intentions and with a desire to clean our spiritual house.

Clean Monday is a day of strict fasting for Eastern Rite Catholics, and, on this day and throughout Lent, Eastern Christians will pray the Prayer of St. Ephrem the Syrian. As the rest of us wait for Lent to begin, now would be a good time for us to learn the prayer, too.

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President Obama: A Uniter, Not a Divider

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:04:36 +0000

Back in 1999, when he was running for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, George W. Bush famously declared that he was "a uniter, not a divider." The eight years of his administration, alas, proved otherwise: Despite the incredible unity brought about in the first year of his first term by the terrorist attacks of September 11, the presidential election of 2004 was among the most divisive in the history of the United States.

In the 2008 election, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama may not have adopted Bush's phrase, but he certainly attempted to present himself as "a uniter, not a divider." Yet from the earliest days of his administration, President Obama has overturned previous policies, especially on moral and life issues, that enjoyed broad popular support, from reversing the Bush administration's "compromise" on embryonic stem-cell research, to expanding federal funding for abortion and contraception, to announcing that his administration will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

Despite the polarizing nature of these policies, President Obama had largely escaped sustained public criticism over any of them. But with the announcement of the imposition of the contraception mandate, timed to coincide with the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the President pressed his luck a bit too far. Even the "compromise" that he presented a few weeks later has not brought an end to the public outcry over this blatant attempt to impose the values of the Obama administration on religious organizations that declare the use of artificial contraception to be objectively immoral.

And yet, in the midst of the division that he has sowed, President Obama has truly proved himself a "uniter," at least when it comes to one important group: the Catholic bishops of the United States.

As reported by Thomas Peters on February 16, "Every single Roman Catholic bishop in the United States has condemned in public the Obamacare HHS mandate—all 180 bishops who lead dioceses in the U.S. have spoken." And this is the revised mandate, which the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has rightly seen as simply a shell game, designed to hide the fact religious institutions will ultimately still bear the costs of paying for artificial contraception for their employees. (To understand why, see The Obamanomics of Contraception.)

To say that such a response from the Catholic bishops of the United States is unprecedented would be the understatement of the year. Not that long ago, before a certain generation of bishops began reaching retirement age and were gradually replaced by bishops appointed by John Paul II and Benedict XVI, I'm not sure you could have found unanimity on all matters of Catholic doctrine, much less on a political threat to the religious freedom of the Catholic Church in the United States. Even at the height of the controversy over President Obama's commencement address at Notre Dame, a significant number of bishops sat on the sidelines.

No more. President Obama has finally pushed his agenda too far for even the most reticent of bishops to stay quiet. In the process, he's become a uniter, not a divider.

And that may prove to be the most important accomplishment of President Obama's first term. So important, in fact, that I'm beginning to think that President Obama may wind up a one-term President, even though, just a month ago, I was certain that he would win reelection.

Time will tell, of course, and I should note that the "compromise" did change the nature of the public debate, returning some portion of those Catholics who had voted for Obama in 2008 to his fold. But as the Catholic bishops of the United States continue to explain the far-reaching nature of the Obama administration's assault on religious freedom, even some of those Catholics may come to understand that the "compromise" was no such thing.

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Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays?

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:00:45 +0000

The first Friday of Lent falls one week from today, and, like all Fridays during Lent, it will be a day of abstinence. All Catholics over the age of 14 are required to abstain from meat and from food made with meat. (For more details, see What Are the Rules for Fasting and Abstinence in the Catholic Church?)

Most people know that Catholics used to abstain from meat on every Friday of the year, but did you know that the Church still encourages us to do so? If you'd like to learn a little more about the history and current practice of abstinence, check out Abstinence as Spiritual Discipline.

And if you're looking for meatless Lent recipes, make sure to try out these Lenten Recipes: Meatless Recipes for Lent and Throughout the Year, a collection of delicious Lent recipes (and other meat-free recipes) from around the world.

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What Are You Giving Up for Lent?

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:00:18 +0000

What are you giving up for Lent? It's a question to which we're often tempted to answer, "None of your business!" And rightly so, because "What are you giving up for Lent?" can be prying at best, rude at worst, and sometimes it really has no purpose other than allowing the other person to brag about his more demanding Lenten sacrifice.

But it doesn't have to be that way. As I wrote in "(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Jacob's Ladder":

Christ is the only way to salvation, but our fellow Christians are the girders that help us see Jacob's Ladder for what it is: the strong and sure path to Heaven.

We're all in this together; we don't have to—and shouldn't—bear our spiritual struggles alone. And so, as we're trying to figure out our own Lenten discipline while waiting for Lent 2012 to begin, "What are you giving up for Lent?" can be a legitimate question. But at the same time, it can be a hard one to ask, since others can take it wrongly.

So let's make it easier for all concerned. If you choose, you can share your Lenten sacrifice in What Are You Giving Up for Lent 2012? Doing so can help others decide on their own Lenten sacrifices, and seeing your own resolution on the screen may help you stick to it.

(Scaffolding for a range light on Lake Michigan; photo © Scott P. Richert)

What Readers Gave Up for Lent in Previous Years:

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The Obamanomics of Contraception

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:53:38 +0000

What's so expensive that no one can afford it, but so cheap that everyone can? Since today is Valentine's Day, you can be excused for thinking that the answer is "love." Unfortunately, that's not the answer I had in mind, though (once again on Valentine's Day) the correct answer—artificial contraception—is all too often confused with love.

The Obama administration and its apologists made one set of arguments to try to win support for the initial version of President Obama's contraception mandate, only to turn around last Friday, after offering a "revised" mandate, and contradict everything they had said.

The two arguments can be summed up as follows:

Original Contraception Mandate

Artificial contraception is too expensive for working women to afford; therefore
All employers, including religious institutions that believe the use of artificial contraception is objectively immoral, must pay for insurance policies that will cover the costs of artificial contraception.

"Revised" Contraception Mandate

Artificial contraception is so inexpensive that
Insurance companies, which stay in business by taking in more money than they pay out, will be able to provide artificial contraception to the female employees of religious institutions free of charge.

When one boils the administration's two contradictory arguments down to their essentials, the point that I was trying to make in When Is a Compromise Not a Compromise? becomes crystal-clear. One does not have to understand how insurance companies use actuarial tables and cohorts of the insured to ensure that they make the profit they wish to make every year; one needs only to acknowledge what profits are: the difference between the money that a company takes in and that which it pays out.

If insurance companies are forced to provide a service or product for free—in other words, if their expenses increase—they have only one way of maintaining their profits: by increasing income. And that increased income takes the form of higher premiums, which the Obama administration knows full well will be levied on the religious institutions that object to paying for artificial contraception.

That's why, only minutes after President Obama announced his "compromise," I called this a "shell game." The only thing that has changed is that the cost of paying for artificial contraception is being hidden through semantics. "Religious organizations will not be required to subsidize the cost of contraception," the White House says, yet that is exactly what will happen.

There were ways in which the Obama administration could have revised the contraception mandate that would have made it much harder, if not impossible, for insurance companies to pass the costs on to religious institutions that object to paying for artificial contraception.

President Obama could, for instance, have required insurance companies to provide contraceptive coverage to women who work at religious institutions as a separate policy altogether. Since he insists that artificial contraception is too expensive for working women to afford, he could have set price caps on the cost of that policy—say, five dollars per month. Insurance companies could then have arranged for bulk discounts with pharmaceutical companies. President Obama could even have helped the insurance companies out in their negotiations with the pharmaceutical companies by imposing price controls on the most commonly used forms of artificial contraception.

None of these things, of course, would be good in themselves, nor would they advance freedom. But, had President Obama done any or all of those things, one might be able to make a reasonable argument that he had actually tried to ensure that religious institutions would not not be required to spend a penny on something they regard as intrinsically immoral.

The fact that President Obama chose not to go that way—the fact that he chose instead to play a shell game, and to argue that artificial contraception is too expensive for women to afford, but too cheap for insurance companies not to be able to give it away for free—proves that this mandate is less about providing a "service" to women than it is about increasing the power of the state over the Church.

Make no mistake: If the "revised" mandate actually becomes law, it will be the first of many steps in forcing churches to bow before the power of Washington, D.C. That is what is at stake here: no more, and no less.

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Time Is Running Out to Make Your Nominations!

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:05:17 +0000

Nominations for the 2012 About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards end on Wednesday, February 15, at 11:59 P.M. EST. If you haven't made your nominations yet, it's not too late; and if you have made your nominations, now is your last chance to convince your friends and family to nominate the same people, organizations, and products. Remember: Only the top five nominees in each of the following ten categories will become a finalist and advance on to the voting round:

Best Catholic Book of 2011
Best Catholic Blog
Best Catholic Website
Best Catholic Podcast
Best Catholic Magazine
Best Catholic Newspaper
Best Catholic iOS App
Best Catholic Radio Show
Best Catholic to Follow on Twitter
Best Catholic Facebook Page

Currently, the categories with the fewest number of nominations are Best Catholic Magazine, Best Catholic Newspaper, and Best Catholic Radio Show. As a print journalist myself (in my day job), I'm partial to these "old media," and I hope that readers will take the opportunity presented by the low number of nominations to try to get their favorites into the finals!

After nominations close at 11:59 P.M. EST on February 15, 2012, I will tally up the nominations and choose five finalists in each category. Voting will begin at midnight EST on February 22, when I announce the finalists. (Sign up for the About.com Catholicism Newsletter to be notified automatically when voting begins.) Voting will end at 11:59 P.M. EST on March 21, 2012, and the winners will be announced on March 30.

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Novena of the Week: To the Holy Ghost

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Those who are familiar with this week's novena might find it a bit out of place. The Novena to the Holy Ghost is, we might say, the "mother of all novenas." For centuries, Catholics have prayed it between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday in memory of the nine days that the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles spent in prayer before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

But the novena can be prayed at any time of the year, and I like the idea of praying it in preparation for Lent. By asking for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we not only show our commitment to the spiritual struggle of the coming 40 days, but we also call to mind those areas of our spiritual life in which we need to place the most effort. And what better time to take stock of our spiritual lives?

To make it easier to remember to pray the novena each day, I have set up a daily reminder e-mail. Simply click on that link to sign up, and you will receive an e-mail each day with the links to that day's prayers.

(A dove is perched in a wall outside the Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls, Rome, Italy. The dove is the traditional Christian symbol for the Holy Spirit. The basilica, a seventh-century church, sits over a fourth-century Christian catacomb. Photo © Scott P. Richert)

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About.com

Ashes to Ashes

FAQs About Lent:

More FAQs About Lent:

It's Pancake Day!

Novena of the Week: The Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian

More on Saint Ephrem the Syrian:

When Does Lent Really Start?

More on Clean Monday and Lent:

President Obama: A Uniter, Not a Divider

More on the Contraceptive Mandate:

Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays?

More on Abstinence and Lent:

What Are You Giving Up for Lent?

What Readers Gave Up for Lent in Previous Years:

The Obamanomics of Contraception

More on the Contraceptive Mandate:

Time Is Running Out to Make Your Nominations!

Last Year's About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards:

Novena of the Week: To the Holy Ghost

More on the Novena to the Holy Ghost: