Restraint and Revelry

"I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin." Psalm 38:18

United Nations is restricting free speech, let's call it control of thoughts...
Attorney General is again interfering with our constitutional right to bear arms.
Feds are congratulating themselves on the Border Drug Wars and over 1,000 dead already this year. And these are are only three improprieties occurring on this Ash Wednesday.

I don't celebrate Ash Wednesday nor do I observe Lent.
It is a Roman Catholic Holiday celebrated as a day of repentance.
It is not Biblical as the practice started centuries later.
The custom is to purify hearts and bodies through abstinence and prayer.
The ashes received are a reminder of sins and many Catholics keep them on their foreheads all day as an outward sign of humility.
And by the number of smudged black crosses I witnessed today, there are a great deal of Catholics in New York City.
This is all great and truly noble.
And since I sin daily and need the Lord daily. I choose to repent and pray daily.

On this day of self-denial (for some) I spent the afternoon relishing in the bountiful goods and goodies of local farmers and bakers in the surrounding area. It was a farmers market at Union Square and it was amazing. I tasted tart crisp apples, dipped crusty peasant bread in rich olive oil, drank Mother's Milk beer brewed in the Hudson Valley, licked my lips from the thick cut sliced bacon, and smelled the distinctive aroma of fresh caught Rainbow Trout. I indulged.
I saw a few girls who had received ashes and asked them what it meant to them.
With a few shrugs, one simply said, "Tradition" Another girl told me she was giving up FACEBOOK for 40 days......Interesting. I wonder how that makes her feel closer to God.
I admire people's dedication. Yet, my only hope for self-control is the Holy Spirit working in me.

Again, doing as the Romans do...on my way home tonight, I walked to the gorgeous Old St. Patrick's Cathedral and sat in (amongst hundreds) on their Penitential Mass. Here is what I received. Regardless of rites, rituals, or relationships, we all need God as our Guiding Light.
This can be received not by RESTRAINT of our WILL but the RELEASE....

After the service, I grabbed some Pad Thai takeout and a creamy dark chocolate bar and was thankful for it.

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face." Matthew 6:16-17

To whom and what are you trying to prove?