Lenten musings - getting ready for death

[frandowdsofa]

The three pillars of Lent are fasting, penitence and charitable giving. The Muslim structure of Ramadan is far closer to the Christian origins of this, by the way. Ours has downgraded to denying yourself something you like to consume. There used to be an element of giving the money you saved to a charity, but I haven't seen anyone naming a good

Comments

[owlfish]

Death and chocolate. First in your post, and then advertised in my inbox.
http://artisanduchocolat.com/death-by-chocolate-hot-chocolate-jar.html

I don't celebrate Lent, but I appreciated your post and its arguments.

[surliminal]

Just read back to this. Good post. I don't do Lent and rather hate the idea of pointedly showing off giving up something most people in the world probably don't have anyway - but this is a good idea.

[surliminal]

Ps watching and now reading Wolf Hall has made me think quite a lot about the nearness of death in Tudor times by all kinds of means. Have we lost something by not having such a shitty world that our efforts aren't focused in being good enough for the next world? Or were moral scruples just as much or even more a luxury then than now? It has made me think,