Christian Karma?

"Mardi Gras"
"Fat Tuesday"
"Shrove-tide"

There are many ways to say it, but there is a basic agreement on the proper way to celebrate it: heroic consumption of mass quantities of food, drink, and alcohol.

Once upon a time this feast served a noble and practical service: to clean out the pantries of any food that would spoil during the great fast. For example, if you give up cheese for Lent, you had better eat it now or things will get smelly.

Today there is an occasional Christian who sincerely embarks upon the ritual fasts, but I can nearly assure you that they are not cleaning our their fridge during tonight's eating binge. If I were cynical, which at times I am, I would say that Marti Gras is a feast to counter the fast, an odd Christian celebration of Karma. Of course this pagan notion of Equivalent Exchange is also found in people who think that suffering the pain of hunger tomorrow makes them holy. It doesn't. It just makes them hungry.

As Paul says "the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking." For the Christian, fasting and feasting should both point beyond themselves. God does not enjoy us suffering, but he does enjoy us. Lent is our chance to let Him enjoy us and for us to enjoy Him. We normally enjoy God through His many gifts of food, drink, etc.--and it is good, right, and holy so to do. But starting tomorrow, let's take a step beyond the gifts are go straight to the Giver. Then we can celebrate Easter not only because we stop doing our penances, but because of the sheer joy overflowing from a heart in love.