Althouse: "Take your heartthrob to a small-plates place, because fasting in the Catholic Church doesn’t mean that you go without, or with just water."

February 13, 2018

"Take your heartthrob to a small-plates place, because fasting in the Catholic Church doesn’t mean that you go without, or with just water."

Advice from Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, on how to deal with the coincidence of Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day.

But today is Fat Tuesday, so pre-eat as much as possible.

33 comments:

Curious George said...: I'm going to do something crazy and just eat normally today and tomorrow.; 2/13/18, 11:14 AM
rhhardin said...: W.C.Fields said that they lost their corkscrew in Afghanistan and had to live for three weeks on food and water.; 2/13/18, 11:16 AM
traditionalguy said...: It's time for the Ashes. But we use Protestant Ashes only.; 2/13/18, 11:26 AM
Robert said...: Per Tobin, forget all that take up your cross and follow me bushwah.; 2/13/18, 11:27 AM
sparrow said...: I think this deserves your lightweight religion label, and I'm Catholic; 2/13/18, 11:32 AM
langford peel said...: As long as you don't eat meat you are fine.

So no hog on Ash Wednesday Titus.

It might be possessed by demons.; 2/13/18, 11:46 AM
tcrosse said...: My wife tells me that her mother was such a pious Catholic, that on fast days she would serve things like salmon or lobster tails, for the mortification of the flesh.; 2/13/18, 12:08 PM
sparrow said...: Love the new picture tcrosse; 2/13/18, 12:10 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Perhaps if you and your sweetie can be happy together with very little e.g. a 'fast,' perhaps this bodes well for your future together.; 2/13/18, 12:10 PM
campy said...: Newark has their own Cardinal???!!!; 2/13/18, 12:37 PM
Ipso Fatso said...: As a former Catholic, I take up drinking for Lent and then continue until next Lent.; 2/13/18, 1:08 PM
gspencer said...: Years ago the RCC relaxed the rules on abstaining from meat on Fridays.

Okay, but what do you say to the guy who's the last guy to enter Hell for violating this rule just before the change?; 2/13/18, 1:08 PM
JohnAnnArbor said...: It's time for the Ashes. But we use Protestant Ashes only.

An Episcopal church north of Detroit has done drive-through ashes for the last few years.; 2/13/18, 1:21 PM
john burger said...: Pre-eat. I like it.; 2/13/18, 1:22 PM
JackOfClubs said...: Fat Tuesday isn't really about "pre-eating". The original point was to consume all of meat and fat (especially butter) that would go bad during 46 days of fasting before refrigerators were invented.; 2/13/18, 1:27 PM
richlb said...: My wife is semi-Catholic. One thing I always liked about Catholicism was an adherence to the rules and regulations despite the modernity of time. One thing I hate about Catholicism is that when they do break the rules, it needs some bishop or cardinal to ordain or excuse something. I really wish they would just say "use your best judgement, that is between you and God" and go on to the next sermon.; 2/13/18, 1:29 PM
tcrosse said...: The Ashes also refers to a cricket series between England and Australia, and to the terra cotta urn which is its trophy.; 2/13/18, 1:32 PM
DR Judge said...: There's an Episcopal church locally that is advertising 'organic' ashes.; 2/13/18, 1:45 PM
JohnAnnArbor said...: There's an Episcopal church locally that is advertising 'organic' ashes.

Yeah, but are they also free-range and fair-trade?; 2/13/18, 1:48 PM
Gospace said...: We're going out for fish tomorrow.; 2/13/18, 2:44 PM
Howard said...: This works for the Cardinal because tweeners don't eat much and he, of course, wants to save room for dessert.; 2/13/18, 4:11 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: I think it's time for a new religion made up of nothing but completely wacky dietary laws. Like only eating silly putty on every fifth Thursday.; 2/13/18, 6:36 PM
Darrell said...: I think it's time for a new religion made up of nothing but completely wacky dietary laws. Like only eating silly putty on every fifth Thursday.

So, you've given up the bags of dicks?; 2/13/18, 6:57 PM
Michael Fitzgerald said...: Go forth and sin no more- or do. It doesn't really matter that much...; 2/13/18, 8:22 PM
Saint Croix said...: One thing I always liked about Catholicism was an adherence to the rules and regulations despite the modernity of time.

Jesus never said, "You have to fast just like I did."

There are only two rules.

Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Fasting is a way to increase the power of prayer. That's why Jesus did it, I think.

It's a dangerous practice, of course.

It would be silly and absurd to require that all who wish to follow Christ must go without food for 40 days.; 2/14/18, 4:30 AM
Saint Croix said...: fasting — which Catholics define as eating one normal meal and two small meals that don’t add up to the normal meal in quantity.

This is the sort of thing that set Martin Luther off in the first place. The rule you are issuing is too hard and too mean. So of course you start doing "indulgences" so people can break your stupid rule. And you deny that any rule-breaking is going on. And to do that, you have to redefine what a fast is. And by doing that, you are being dishonest and insincere. It's a betrayal of Christ to suggest that he was eating "one normal meal and two small meals that don't add up to the normal meal in quantity" while he was in the desert.; 2/14/18, 4:31 AM
Saint Croix said...: I really wish they would just say "use your best judgement, that is between you and God" and go on to the next sermon.

You sound like an Episcopalian!; 2/14/18, 4:44 AM
Saint Croix said...: “St. Valentine willingly bows to this Sacred Heart, for which even he lovingly gave his life 18 centuries ago,” Cardinal Dolan wrote, in a reference to the martyrdom of St. Valentine in the third century.

He called for celebrations in line with the day’s spirit. “Why don’t we do an act of charity for somebody else? Why don’t we do an act of penance for one another as a sign of our love?” he told reporters Monday.

I love Dolan. Keep rocking, brother.; 2/14/18, 4:48 AM
etbass said...: Attended a Catholic funeral yesterday. They are becoming more and more protestant. English instead of Latin, congregants participating, vestments without the bling, few statues, no mention of the virgin Mary. Two protestant hymns (Amazing grace and How Great Thou Art). No mention of purgatory. Nobody at the wake or other gathering mentioned Lent or Ash Wednesday.

But they still prayed for the dead.; 2/14/18, 6:54 AM
Kyzer SoSay said...: I'm taking wifey out to brunch on Saturday. We both have obligations during the week, and she prefers a romantic brunch to a romantic dinner anyhow.; 2/14/18, 7:49 AM
JAORE said...: Fasting light?
Diet fasting?
I'll have the blue plate fasting special
Weight Watchers fasting?
Tapa fasting?
Fasting and Furious?

Ah well, the BBQ omelette I made this morning was tapa enough.; 2/14/18, 9:40 AM
Saint Croix said...: We celebrate Ash Wednesday in the Episcopal church.

If you put ashes on, everybody thinks you're Catholic.

I had a cop tell me this morning, "you got something on your forehead."; 2/14/18, 10:05 AM
Saint Croix said...: I'm going to do something crazy and just eat normally today and tomorrow.

That's not crazy. But it is boring!; 2/14/18, 10:12 AM