"Now is the acceptable time..."

Throughout Western Christendom, the Great Fast is upon us as of today. Don Jim gives an account of how the custom of ashes appears in Europe. He maintains that the sprinkling of ashes over the assembly, rather than crossing the forehead, was normative in the Classical Roman ritual (or the "Old Rite," if you will). A telephone call to my parents in Ohio today would suggest otherwise. Perhaps this was simply a regional variation, rather than common to the ancient usage.

The night before, I engaged in one last night of pre-Lenten revelry. I'm hoping to make it to church today, even though (contrary to popular opinion) Ash Wednesday is not a holyday of obligation. If all else fails, I'll use a piece of charcoal at home tonight, to give my own forehead a good dusting. (Shhhh...)

Meanwhile, I am definitely fasting today as the Church requires. But I've only been eating one full meal a day for most days in the last few months as part of an aggressive weight loss plan. (From the first of September to the present, I'm down from 210 to 180. Not too shabby.) So, with that in mind, here is what I've decided to give up for Lent. (Thanks, Mark.)