Friday, March 25, 2011

The Solemnity of the Annunciation

The Annunciation, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1859-1937


Help me, Lord, to say "yes" to You today, in the remaining days of Lent, and always. 

~~~~~

And, because today is a Solemnity, say yes to a big celebration -- bring on the burger! Have some wine! Is there a cake in the house? Mary said yes! Jesus is worth celebrating! I need some deep, dark chocolate.

Note: Sometimes Catholics don't believe this Solemnity-on-a-Friday-lifts-the-Lenten-obligation stuff. "Meat? On a Friday in Lent?" they may ask, with narrowed eyes. "Are you sure?"

I'm sure.

Not that you have to eat meat. Personally, I don't care that much about meat -- there are plenty of other things that are tougher sacrifices for me. And plenty that are greater symbols of feasting and celebration. The point is Jesus. Always Jesus. However you celebrate.

Here's a fun collection of links about today's Solemnity at Catholic Culture.

4 comments:

Jo said...

This is such a beautiful painting Karen. I found a lovely meditation on it by J Michael Sparough at the America - National Catholic Weekly site. Not being catholic I did not realise this feast was on Friday but enjoyed Sunday meditations on the theme!

Karen Edmisten said...

Thanks, Jo. Yes, I have always found this painting to be enormously affecting.

Liz said...

I missed the opportunity to do meat on a Friday in Lent, and it was even my birthday! A friend from church called to remind me just as we were pulling the oven roasted potatoes to go with the fried cod out of the oven. Oh well, we did have corned beef on St. Patrick's Day and we do use Sundays as a meat permitted day. I'm actually not minding the meatless thing all that much this year (well, not for the most part anyway).

Karen Edmisten said...

Liz, are you doing an entirely meatless Lent? Atticus and I did that one year, but we don't do it every year.