PANCAKES! PANCAKES!

“Why do we have to go to church to eat pancakes?”
“Why can’t we have pancakes every time we go to church?”
“What’s so special about Tuesdays and pancakes?”

Why? Why? Why?

These are the types of questions, I fielded at the breakfast table this morning.
Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras is a long-standing tradition.  A party or celebration on the day before Lent begins dates back to the Middle Ages. The word Shrove comes from the word "shrive" meaning absolve. Pancakes were made because it was the last day fatty foods could be eaten before the Lenten fast began, so households made pancakes from the eggs, butter and fat that needed to be used before Lent began.  It’s a perfect excuse to have a party and eat all those yummy treats together.

Shrove Tuesday became the Middle Age equivalent of leftover day to clean out the fridge. You see Spring cleaning dates back hundreds of years.  Lent provides us with the perfect opportunity for us to examine the “fatty” things in our lives that pull us away from our relationships with God and one another. It’s spiritual Spring-cleaning.

Things to ask your kids:
  • Why do you think we continue this tradition? 
  • Are things or people more important?
  • Do you have anything that gets in the way of your friendships?
  • What are the things that distract you from your friends, family and God?
  • How are we distracted from each other as a family?
  • What should we work on this Lent?

WHO WANTS PANCAKES?

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