Side note, this evening I'm making hot cross buns to take to work tomorrow morning. Apparently, they're a Jesuit tradition for Ash Wednesday - and since I discovered the awesome book "The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking," I've been trying to follow some of the recipes in their associations with the liturgical year. It's a nice way to keep that connection to the sacred, even in my kitchen. (BTW - if you're interested in the book, check it out on Amazon - Catholic priests and brothers write some wicked good cookbooks - and this one is a true gem!) San Pasquale, pray for us!
But - getting back to the topic - no, I've never really gotten into the entire Fat Tuesday thing. Tonight, I had chicken and salad for dinner, and right now, I'm enjoying a nice glass of tempranillo - and that, folks, is about as exciting as it gets for Mardi Gras in my house. Maybe next year, I'll have a party. Oh, wait. Fat Tuesday is a TUESDAY. Meaning I'll have to go to work the next morning - which is - oh yeah, Ash Wednesday. Hmmm, nope. Maybe no Mardi Gras parties for me.
Don't get me wrong, I think it would be fun to see Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but I've just never gotten in to the idea of indulging in utter excess the day before Lent begins. I mean, I already know I need to go to Confession, why make it worse? ;-)
So tonight, I've been sipping my tempranillo, waiting for the bread dough to rise, and listening to a mix of tunes I put together yesterday afternoon. U2 (of course - in the "City of Blinding Lights" I realize "I knew much more then, than I know now"), Adele, McCartney, Dave Matthews Band ("the space between the tears we cry, is the laughter that keeps us coming back for more"), Coldplay, Sting, even some Rascal Flatts (because after all the amazing things I've been blessed with, I'm so often reminded - it was "Nothing Like This" - it's constantly new and always changing). And thinking. Not necessarily in this order, but thinking: Thinking about the beautiful day today - over 50 degrees, blue skies, wouldn't have needed my jacket were it not for the slightly chilly wind this afternoon. Thinking about the sunset I watched while I was out running this afternoon. Thinking about work tomorrow. Thinking about the people I love. Thinking about Lent. Thinking about the beauty that happens in life every day, whether we recognize it or not, because God is God, and God is good - He does all things well.
One more random thought, and then I'll call it a night for blogging purposes. If you're reading this, and you're a person of faith - have you ever had one of those little moments that took you completely by surprise and reminded you of the presence of God - and in my case, how grateful I am to be Catholic? I had one of those awesome moments on Saturday night, and I need to share!
At the parish my husband and I attend, the sacrament of Baptism is celebrated during the Saturday evening Mass, on every 3rd Sunday of the month. Now - if you're Catholic - take a moment, and consider first of all, how beautiful it is to celebrate this sacrament in the presence of the entire community at Mass. So it adds a little time to Mass (less than 10 minutes, for those who are counting). Who cares? The more important thing is that the entire community is present to welcome the newly baptized into the Church. It's truly a beautiful thing, a wonderful way to share in the life of the Church - and it's something I have come to really look forward to every month.
If you're Catholic, you may know that part of the sacrament of Baptism involves anointing with chrism oil. Those of us who were baptized as infants of course don't remember being baptized, or how amazing chrism oil smells. It's olive oil, but it's scented with balsam - unlike the other holy oils used for other anointing rituals in the Church - which gives it a wonderful, sweet, rather spicy scent. It's also used in the sacrament of Confirmation, and that's where my first memory of chrism oil finds its origin - although not from my own Confirmation, but from my mom's - she became Catholic when I was a child, and I will always remember the smell of the sacred chrism oil on her forehead that evening. Of course, I do have a very strong memory of the scent of the chrism I was anointed with at my Confirmation, eleven years ago this spring. It's one of those scents that you just don't want to go away, that you want to keep forever. One of those things I'll never forget.
Well, this past weekend was the 3rd Sunday of the month, and as usual, there were baptisms at Mass on Saturday evening. I could just barely smell the chrism oil from where the hubs and I were sitting, and ah! What a wonderful reminder of the sacraments, of God's gifts to us. But it got better. After Mass, I said hello to Fr. Tim, and in the process, I touched his hands. A few minutes later, in the car, I realized I could smell chrism oil on my hands - there must have been some left on his hands from anointing the children who were baptized. Needless to say, THAT was cool. It was one of those "God moments," that reminded me how grateful I am to be Catholic, for everything that means. And moreover, it made me grateful to be part of a community that welcomes children into the Church in the presence of the... community.
Time to make the icing for those hot cross buns - although I can attest to the fact that they're yummy even without it. ;-) Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!
+peace, and all good!
+peace, and all good!
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