Lenten Musings

"Here we are in Lent. No one would expect me to give up knitting, so that’s all right." This is why Jean's Knitting is my favorite blog ... she often seems to echo things I'm thinking, but she says it much better than I do. Not that I was contemplating giving up knitting for Lent, I may think fuzzy in the early morning hours, but not that fuzzy.

I was thinking about chocolate doughnuts and the different perspectives taken towards Lent pre- and post Vatican II. In the all female Catholic high school I was so fortunate to attend (incarcerated in) during those years, we were encouraged pre Vatican II to "give up" things in order to discourage our vices, while post Vatican II we were encouraged to actually "do things" to promote the growth of some virtue. I think this was probably a positive development that prevented the Lenten season from declining into a sort of "Diet for Catholics" instituted to lower the average mass of the school by 5 lbs./student. But I do really miss those chocolate doughnuts sold in the cafeteria every morning (they constituted my breakfast for four years) and I would gladly give them up if I could get my hands on one today ...

But sadly they don't seem to exist any more, so I'll have to "do something" instead. I'll knit more!


Note to Self: this isn't really as decadently self-centered a proposal as it sounds .. you aren't knitting anything for yourself, so actually finishing things and packing them and sending them ... will promote the virtue of ... umm ... charity, diligence and clothing the naked!