Ash Wednesday…The beginning of Lent
The number “40″ has always had special spiritual significance regarding preparation. On Mount Sinai, preparing to receive the Ten Commandments, “Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, without eating any food or drinking any water” (Ex 34:28). Elijah walked “40 days and 40 nights” to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb (another name for Sinai) (I Kgs 19:8). Most importantly, Jesus fasted and prayed for “40 days and 40 nights” in the desert before He began His public ministry (Mt 4:2).
Once the 40 days of Lent were established, the next development concerned how much fasting was to be done. In Jerusalem, for instance, people fasted for 40 days, Monday through Friday, but not on Saturday or Sunday, thereby making Lent last for eight weeks. In Rome and in the West, people fasted for six weeks, Monday through Saturday, thereby making Lent last for six weeks. Eventually, the practice prevailed of fasting for six days a week over the course of six weeks, and Ash Wednesday was instituted to bring the number of fast days before Easter to 40. The rules of fasting varied. First, some areas of the Church abstained from all forms of meat and animal products, while others made exceptions for food like fish.
Growing up as a Catholic, my family fasted on Ash Wednesday and then every Friday of the six weeks of lent. The “fasting” included abstaining from meat with the exception to seafood. As most of you know, I live in South Louisiana and seafood is abundant. As a child, I constantly questioned where was the sacrifice in eating seafood? My answer was always to not question such things. I LOVE seafood and the cajun spices that seafood is cooked in. Fried seafood, boiled seafood, seafood gumbo, stews, etc. As an adult, I have carried on the “fasting” with my own family. My children attend a Catholic school and study religion daily, they don’t think of questioning the seafood aspect of it.
Our first lent meal, fried fish and french fries. Where’s the sacrifice?
Boiled Shrimp
Crawfish Stew
Boiled Crawfish
Boiled Crawfish
Still not seeing the sacrifice. 
~Christie
Ahh! I so want to have some of that crawfish
We haven’t had any this season, but I am thinking this weekend. Those were from last year…lol
Ah..I’ve yet to try any, The furthest I’ve ever been on roadtrip was down on the west coast from Vancouver to Vegas and back up
Ohhh
I gotta make it to where you are for this lol
Crawfish are supposed to be abundant this year because of the rain LA & MS received this past fall and winter. No sacrifice ….
I am looking forward to our first crawfish boil!
I feel the same way! I loved Fridays in Lent because I grew up in the midwest where Lenten Fish Frys were immensely popular at Church & Fire Halls. I never really knew these days were for “fasting” rather just eating fish!
Yes, its more like a celebration than a penance or reflection.
Shrimp and crawfish. Yum.
Can’t wait to have our first seafood boil!
You are right, no sacrifice there, do you give up nothing for Lent? My daughter gave up Facebook!
Yes, we each decide what our own sacrifice will be. I gave up wine and carbonated sodas, Gracie and Nicholas gave up potato chips, Patience gave up carbonated sodas, and Nick gave up all sweets. I think facebook would have been an even bigger sacrifice for me though! lol
Does your family give up anything for Lent?
Yes, we each decide what our own sacrifice will be. I gave up wine and carbonated sodas, Gracie and Nicholas gave up potato chips, Patience gave up carbonated sodas, and Nick gave up all sweets
Food looks delish!
We’ll be having Fish-fry Fridays during this time of the season too.
Thanks! It is a tradition and we all enjoy it
I grew up in Maryland and we always had fish sticks in the school cafeteria for lunch every Friday, it was a given! Usually accompanied by macaroni and cheese. I wonder if they felt fish was an inferior protein and had to be supplemented with lots of cheese? Maybe it was just during Lent but I sort of remember it being all the time. I got to where I couldn’t stand the sight of fish sticks, but I was so surprised to find that my son’s kids love them! Now card-boardy-tasting fish sticks make you feel like you’ve given up something. Your seafood pics—um, well, I would take the advice to shut up about the seafood=meat aspect of it too!
Hahaha! My kids love fish sticks too and I just don’t get that! I’ll take the advise on the seafood!
Enjoyed all of your delicious pics:)
Thank you