Following my husband’s lead, the entire family has given up ice cream for Lent. Kevin and I have replaced our late night bowl of dairy delight for popcorn – lots of popcorn. We are really getting sick of it! Lately I have been having this vague desire to drive to the food store and pick up some ice cream. Now I have a great excuse of having an ice cream–loving houseguest arriving next week. I plan to go food shopping on Saturday night, and was toying with the idea of abandoning our fast and stocking up on ice cream. Only so that our houseguest could feel at home, of course.
Kevin said no. We had made this commitment, we have stuck with it thus far, and we were not going to give up now.
After exploring my reasoning I realize I really want to buy ice cream for myself, not my houseguest. He would be equally happy with my homemade cake, cookies, or – yes – popcorn.
Perhaps we can allow ourselves a celebratory meal (in honor of our guest, of course) one day next week and go out for ice cream, but we will not bring it into the house.
I pray I can keep my resolve and walk quickly past the frozen dairy case this Saturday evening.
Whenever I talk about fasting, I always put this up as a reminder, especially for many of my readers who are pregnant or nursing.
Those who are excused from fast or abstinence:
Besides those outside the age limits, those of unsound mind, the sick, the frail, pregnant or nursing women according to need for meat or nourishment, manual laborers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense or causing enmity and other situations of moral or physical impossibility to observe the penitential discipline.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
If you enjoyed this post, or you are faltering in your fast, you might enjoy reading my post on “Failing in Our Fasts”.
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