Shrove Tuesday and the Burning of the Palms

Today is Shrove Tuesday, and this morning the children observed the custom of eating pancakes. Pancakes are traditionally associated with Shrove Tuesday, the day preceding Lent, because they are a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of Lent, when we try to go without.

We also gathered in the amphitheatre to burn the palms that were blessed last year on Palm Sunday. These palms symbolise those that were waved as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to prepare for the Passover Feast. The ashes created from the burning of the palms will be used during our Ash Wednesday Mass by Father, who will sprinkle them over the head of each person in the Church.

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Lent is the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season prayer, fasting and charitable works. A time of reflection and preparation, before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days.

Ash Wednesday Mass will be celebrated at 12 noon with Year 5/6 leading us in this Mass. All families are invited to be part of this Holy Day.

Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to practice charity in Lent this year, by caring for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

In his message for Lent 2021, the Pope asks people to “experience Lent with love,” which “rejoices in seeing others grow.”

“Love is a gift that gives meaning to our lives. It enables us to view those in need as members of our own family, as friends, brothers or sisters. A small amount of almsgiving, if given with love, never ends, but becomes a source of life and happiness,” he said.

The Pope’s Lenten message centres on the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.

“In these times of trouble, when everything seems fragile and uncertain, it may appear challenging to speak of hope. Yet Lent is precisely the season of hope, when we turn back to God who patiently continues to care for his creation which we have often mistreated,” he said.

The Pope said that one can give hope to others by being kind, sharing the “gift of a smile” or speaking a word of encouragement. 

This year, The Vatican has instructed priests to distribute ashes by silently sprinkling them on people’s heads due to the pandemic. This replaces the ashes being traced on a person’s forehead in the sign of the cross.

Let us all try to think about Pope Francis’ message in this Lenten season.

Kate Howe

REC