Meat or Be Meaten

I always welcome Lent with its theme of reflection and renewal. I think it good that we have this annual occasion to take stock of what and where we've been for the past year -- and being human, we can always see room for improvement. For whatever reason, I come into it this year with even a bit more enthusiasm than usual (check back with me in two weeks to see how well ol' Mr. Enthusiasm is doing.) I've lined up some daily devotional reading and a couple of other books that I hope to finish between now and Easter; over the coming weeks at church, I'll be going to some lecture and discussion groups pertaining to the season; I feel like I've generally got my brain screwed on right this year to make the greatest use of Lent that I reasonably can.

And then last night, just as I was turning in for bed, it dawned on me – a few hours earlier, I'd eaten meat on the first Friday of Lent. At which point I accosted myself, “Nice going, ya dope! Love that enthusiasm . . . dumbass!”

I hadn't even given it a thought.  Earlier in the week (and no, not on Ash Wednesday; I did refrain from eating meat then) I'd had some Hamburger Helper and, now that it was a few days old, I thought I'd better finish it off before crawly things began to colonize it. And so I did, not thinking anything more about it. Until I was about to go to bed. “Doh!”

To be honest with you, I've always been puzzled about the whole meatless thing. After all, Jesus tells us that it's what comes out of a man (lies, hatred, lustful thoughts, whatever) that defile him – not what goes into him. Essentially, he's admonishing the Jews to lighten up on the whole pork thing, and then our church turns around and creates something like it but with fish (at least on Fridays.)

Trying not to get too hung up on what I consider petty details, I've always gone along with it. If I'm going to reap the benefits of the church (the Eucharist, confession, the intercession of the saints, etc.) I can live with not eating meat on Fridays and certain other days during Lent. And I also always have to realize that maybe there's more to it than my meager understanding will allow me to digest. Besides, this has given me an excuse to take advantage of – at least once a year – the dangerously delicious heart-attack-on-a-platter that is Long John Silver's Fish and Fries. (Love those hushpuppies!)

I think that one benefit of refraining from meat on Fridays during Lent is the notion that, by doing so, it gives us pause to stop and think for a second that nothing we have – not even ourselves – would exist without the grace of God. The meager gesture of this partial fast is easy to make (although -- *ahem* -- easy to forget) but it more than rewards us by allowing us this reflection on the true nature of ourselves and of God. All of which reminds me: I haven't been to Long John's since last year. Hoo-hah!