The Lent Journal 2

First time I've heard about Lent was at my mom's catechism - at least on my reckoning. As a child you have questions. Your parents are your unending source of wisdom and knowledge.  

Unfortunately, there was (and there aren't) Episcopal or Lutheran churches nearby to enlighten her knowledge of the Lent (since other evangelical denominations don´t work much with the Lent) and her Roman Catholic experience was (on my later analysis based on our charged theological discussions and disagreements) pretty much based on a platonic expression of popular beliefs more than on the Roman Catholic actual dogmas. 

So what I've learnt pretty much was that there was Carnival. The word carnival derived from the Portuguese word "Carne", which means "flesh", and meant the "Feast of the Flesh". Now the word "carne" also means "meat", but for popular Platonists, that is a difference you won't make. After all, meat or flesh, everything is matter, therefore very bad. 

Now, according to this teachings, the Roman Catholic Church (sometimes I think it could also be the Illuminati) created this "Feast of Flesh", so that you could have the chance of sinning however you wanted in two days (we're talking about Brazilian carnival, right?), a Monday and a Tuesday. And then, on Ash Wednesday you would repent of all your sins you committed during Carnival. And then, as a sign of your repentance, you couldn´t eat meat for 40 days (the word Lent in Portuguese is "Quaresma", which is similar to "quarenta" or forty). Finally, there would be the Easter, when you could return your meat eating habits, starting with fish - cod if you had the money. And consumerism still screwed things up even more with the idea of eating chocolate eggs. Something we would not be given, my mom would assure me. 

So, here am I celebrating Lent. If you are curious of the reason, you can read the next posts. =P 

Here is the Bible text for today. It's Luke 1: 5 - 17 (version of The Message). 

During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God.

“He’ll drink neither wine nor beer. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother’s womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he’ll get the people ready for God.”