Lent Cometh...

Lent starts tomorrow. When we get the ashes on our heads the priest says: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." This is to remind us of our mortality and the consequence of our first parent's sin. It is "setting the tone" as it were, for the entire liturgical season. Now, not many people really like to think about death, which is understandable and I do not blame them in the least. So to compensate for the macabre reminder of tomorrow, society proclaimed today "Fat Tuesday". A day when self restraint in terms of comestibles is disregarded so as to appreciate the "good things in life" before the long forty days of fasting and penance. Seminary held to this secular tradition because... well, just because. The refectory (cafeteria) served us all sorts of Mardi Gras themed food items. Later on in the day, on of the office workers gave me a piece of "King cake", as I believe is the custom. Without looking too closely at it and being blissfully unaware of the bizarre traditions of the partying community, I put the majority of it in my mouth.

I almost choked on a plastic baby.

This was supposed to bring me good luck. It almost landed me in the hospital.

Now, I'm not sure if this was an effort on the part of the office worker (who will remain nameless to protect her identity), to kill me, which it may very well have. I bother her. But no, I think it was just the fact that I should make sure that what I put into my mouth is edible form now on. It's something I have been trying to work on.
The lesson for today: Things are good. Plastic babies, King cake, office workers. However, excess is not. Our discombobulated world is of the opinion that if you can have it, you should. This is false. Do you want proof? I choked on a plastic baby while eating King cake. Lent is about looking at things, everything, and seeing whether or not we will "choke" on it. It is so we can put into perspective all the good things we have and find out what of those things leads us to sin, and ultimately, death, the thing "Fat Tuesday" was invented to ignore. As it happens, a lot of what the world puts out as the "norm" (i.e. eating cake with a plastic toy in it) is actually very harmful to our souls and bodies (i.e. choking on plastic toys in cake). Therefore, I urge you to look at what you have carefully and eat it with caution so that you do not choke. Both in the spiritual and physical sense.