LENT is

...fast upon us.

It seems I was just eating paczkis and chocolate and telling you about the original Valentine. Now those days are gone. At least until Laetare Sunday ;)

People wonder if the Sundays don't count towards the 40 days. Jimmy Akin and others have blogged about this now perennial question. I defer to my parents on the subject: if the Lord's Day trumps even martyr's feasts, then surely it trumps here as well? Obviously one shouldn't become a hedonist on Sunday, but the day should be one of celebration, and the fast may be moderated.

I think one could become very nitpicky about which days constitute 40 of them, but the church just has a season of Lent, with 40 days being a biblically-figurative passage of time. I think it's good to celebrate on days that are celebrations for you. If you're Polish, March 19th will be a day to eat golabki; the Irish will partake of good ale on the 17th.

I will not hesitate to have a little chocolate on Laetare Sunday. I won't eat an entire chocolate cake, but I will acknowledge a day that the church marks apart from the Lenten purple. Some people break fast on the Annunciation. Wouldn't that be a fun reason to have a special brunch? or a high tea? in honor of Our Lady.

Anywho--however you mark the season and the days within it, follow these links to excellent resources on the subject:

1. Catholic Culture's Lenten Workshop
2. Catholic Mom is getting in the spirit of the season here.
3. and check out the CINBlog for Lenten tidbits.

As they say in the literature provided above, it's not about the chocolate- it's about changing one's interior disposition and using the penitential season as a time to get in readiness for the Easter moment. Whatever turns you away from sin and puts you on the path to Life in Christ is the thing to be doing this season.

For inspiration, there's no better person to look to than St.Petrus, whom we honor in an unusual way this day. The feast of the Chair of St.Peter does not celebrate a Chair (cathedra) so much as the authority of the person seated upon it. Catholic Culture has some good articles explaining this in greater length. Just as our nation observes with reverence this day our First President for his wise governing and noble precedents, so the Church observes with reverence our First Pope. As I posted in 2005:

"I find it curious that this feast should coincide with the celebration of George Washington, our nation's first president. Aside from the fact that they were both Primae, there is the parallel that Washington too was a reluctant leader. True he was popularly acclaimed, but he never asked for the office of President. He merely set the finest precedent for those who would succeed him. Like Simon Peter, he was ever humble, and longed to return to his farm.
Great men are not necessarily born in the loftiest stations. Washington had sufficient education to be a farmer; St. Peter was a fisherman. Christ, the Savior of us all, was born in a stable. Appearances are not always what they seem."

Are your appearances what they seem? Do people look to you and find a Christian? Do you look upon yourself and see your sins? Know the error of your ways this Lent and follow the Way of the Cross.