Venite Prandete

EMBER DAYS OF LENT WEDNESDAY 24th FEBRUARY, FRIDAY 26th FEBRUARY AND SATURDAY 27th FEBRUARY The Church calls for Ember Days four times a year. They are tied to the Liturgical seasons, being: The Feast of St Lucy; Ash Wednesday –Lent; Pentecost and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Roodmas). Ember days are observed by fasting to the extent that the total sum of food taken for the whole day equals one small meal, taken by one small meal with two smaller meals and no food between meals. Tea, coffee, wine and beer are allowed, (believe it or not). The Ember days of Wednesday and Saturday are of partial abstinence – that is, a small amount of meat can be taken, but complete abstinence from meat is required on Ember Friday and, indeed, every Friday, both during Lent and generally. The fasting can have beneficial results physically, but its purpose is spiritual: To give thanks and praise to God; • To pray and fast for the conversion of sinners; • To pray for priests and vocations...

EMBER DAYS OF ST LUCY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 18th and 20th DECEMBER Traditionally, the Ember period of Advent was a time to give thanks for the olive crop. Today is a meatless day, so I have set out a recipe of fish and olives to celebrate our thanks. On this day we pray for our priests, and indeed, for more good priests and we pray and do penance to make atonement for abuses and sacrileges. ROASTED FLOUNDER (OR SNAPPER) WITH OREGANO, SICILIAN OLIVES AND GOLDEN POTATOES [Serves 4] FOR FISH 200 ml olive oil 2 flounder or snapper (large) 3 garlic cloves, crushed finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons 120gm Sicilian olives, cheeks cuts and pitted 2 tbspn fresh oregano ¾ cup parsley lemon wedges, to serve POTATOES 500 gram potatoes, cut into thick slices 60 ml olive oil 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and bruised 2 tbspn oregano leaves 1 Preheat oven to 180 degrees. 2 Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender (10 minutes) 3 Place in a frying pan with olive oil, add garlic, season and co...

  EMBER DAY OF ST LUCY WEDNESDAY 16th DECEMBER Rorate Caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum. Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down the just. The Roman Missal entry for this day provides as follows: On the Wednesday of Ember week in Advent, the Mystery of the Annunciation is commemorated by many churches. The Mass is sung early in the morning. That Mass is sometimes called the Golden Mass, Rorate Mass or Messias Mass. On that occasion the church is lit up as a token that the world was still in darkness when the light of the world appeared. The Mass is called the Golden Mass possibly because in the Middle Age the whole of the Mass or at least the initial letters were written in gold, or on account of the golden magnificence of the solemnity, or more probably on account of the special, great, ‘golden’ grace which, at that time, is obtained by the numerous prayers. It is called Rorate Mass after the first words of the Introit of the Mass: Rorate Caeli; an...

  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 appreciatio...

EMBER SATURDAY RECIPE - RIBOLLITA DELICIOUS TUSCAN SOUP The rules of Ember Days are: Abstinence on Ember Wednesday and Saturday and fasting on the Friday - ie., Friday no meat, (as normal Friday), and on the two other Ember Days, meat is permitted but small, simple meals. Ember days are a way of giving thanks for the blessings we have received in our lives throughout the year. The practice of restraint of Ember Days, and all fasting and abstinence liturgical periods, is focussed on governing the passions – a discipline over the will and the body. It is only of value, however, if it is done for another – Christ, in consciousness of His Sacrifice for us. If it is simply done for ourselves, it is self-referential and not of such deep and lasting value, although, of course, there are physical rewards for us in following gentle disciplines such as these observances – they are healthy alternatives, we feel good and they are good for the environment. This Soup is a tasty way to abstain. The ...

EMBER DAYS - SORREL SOUP; WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY OF THE WEEK AFTER THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS This Wednesday (23rd September), Friday (25th September), and Saturday (26th September) are the Ember Days following the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. These Ember days were traditionally practiced to offer thanks for the grape harvest. 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. 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 h...