EMBER DAYS OF ADVENT WEDNESDAY 16th DECEMBER, FRIDAY 18th DECEMBER, SATURDAY 19th DECEMBER

 EMBER DAYS OF ADVENT

WEDNESDAY 16th DECEMBER, FRIDAY 18th DECEMBER,
SATURDAY 19th DECEMBER



The Advent Ember Days occur in the week following the Feast of St Lucy on 13th December. This year, the Advent Ember Days fall on Wednesday 16th December, Friday 18th December and Saturday 19th December. In actual fact, the whole week following the feast of St Lucy should be a fasting week in that we should eat an amount of food for the whole day that is the equivalent of one small meal. If you are a traditional Catholic, it is not optional but is part of a demand upon you in preparation for the coming of Christ.
Ember Days were related to the seasons in agrarian times and derived from an acknowledgment of our indebtedness to God for our physical well-being. Such awareness, however, is not confined to the past, nor irrelevant to modern life. Ember Days are days of prayer and penance, whereby God’s blessing is sought and during which thanks and praise should be offered to God in appreciation of the blessings bestowed on us. It is not only traditional Catholics who are invited to observe Ember Days; the Sydney Archdiocese has noted on their web-site, that the modern observance of Ember Days focuses on our responsibility for stewardship of the world’s resources, and that, together, we should intercede for a conversion of heart in regard to the care of the earth. This emphasis on the environment reflects the thoughts of Pope Francis, and shows that, although expressed additionally in environmental reasons, the truths of the faith are timeless. The Archdiocese provides: “For this reason, the bishops requested that emphasis be placed on doing penance, on fasting and abstaining in connection with these Ember Days. Fasting and abstaining from meat will encourage us to restraint in our exploitation of natural resources.”
Of course, fasting and penance bring great benefits, both personally, for our physical and spiritual development and for our family, the body of Christ here on earth; that is, fasting and penance is for our souls and for others.
St Leo the Great teaches:
“What can be more salutary for us than fasting, by the practice of which we draw nearer to God, and, standing fast against the devil, defeat the vices that lead us astray. For fasting was ever the food of virtue. From abstinence there arise chaste thoughts, just decisions, salutary counsels. Through voluntary suffering the flesh dies to concupiscences, the spirit waxes strong in virtue. But as the salvation of our souls is not gained solely by fasting, let us fill up what is wanting in our fasting with almsgiving to the poor. Let us give to virtue what we take from pleasure. Let abstinence of those who fast be the dinner of the poor.”
Ember Days occur in regard to four seasons throughout the year, the first of these being the days following the feast of St Lucy. The next Ember days are the Lenten Ember Days, these being the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of the week following the First Sunday of Lent. The Whitsunday Ember Days are those in the week following Pentecost Sunday. Finally, the Ember Days in the week after the Feast of the Holy Cross, (Roodmas), on 14th September, bring the Ember Days to us for all four seasons of the liturgical and agrarian year.
Ember Days require similar fasts as Fridays throughout the year, in which the total food intake throughout the day amounts roughly to one small meal, and in which no red meat is eaten. The custom is generally to eat vegetarian on those days or eat seafood, similar to the Friday fast and abstinence; ie., no meat, wine, dairy or oil. The Missal provides that ‘ordinations generally take place on Ember days. The faithful ought to pray on these days for good Priests.’ So we can link our prayers with the fasting for a very needed purpose - and we can also link it to give thanks for our good Priests.
A simple soup containing only vegetables, (hmm, plus wine and cream and butter), is set out in Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, by Brother Victor Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, as follows:
Saint Bertille Herb Soup
Ingredients
1 small head of leaf lettuce
1 bunch of sorrel
1 cup chopped parsley
10 spring onions or chopped leeks
1 bunch watercress
butter
2 litres vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
½ cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk beaten lightly
½ cup chervil
salt and pepper
1 Shred the lettuce and the sorrel. Chop the parsley, spring onions and watercress into small pieces.
2 Melt the butter in the soup pot, add the chopped greens and cook slowly for a few minutes over low heat. Stir continually. Add the stock and the wine. Cover the pot and cook for about 40 minutes.
3 Remove the pot from the heat, add the cream, beaten egg, chervil, salt and pepper. Blend well in a blender. Reheat the soup for a few minutes, do not allow it to boil. Refrigerate the soup and serve cold. Or it can be served hot with slices of French bread at the side.
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