Fasting, Feasting, our Bodies, and Ourselves

It’s Ash Wednesday, the day Christians begin six weeks of preparation for Easter and you can pick the observant Catholics out of a crowd by the smudges on our foreheads. When I was a kid in parochial school Lent meant giving up sweets because Mom and the nuns expected me to. Then Vatican II came along, and I rejected the old “if it hurts it’s good for you” line of reasoning . . . until I joined the peace movement. One of my heroes, the late Dick McSorley, SJ, posed a provocative question. “How can you know you won’t lash out in a crisis unless you practice some form of self-denial?”

I knew how to use words as weapons, and I knew I didn’t want to. Peace itself was countercultural in those days, so fasting now and again only put me a little further out of the mainstream. Now peace blossoms online, and the mainstream is coming my way.

Our friend David Crumm is chronicling a range of Lenten observances on Readthe Spirit.com. The International House of Pancakes observed Shrove Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras) for the fourth time this year, despite the economic downturn, by giving away short stacks and asking for charitable contributions in lieu of payment. I was amazed (as well as shocked at my own parochialism) when I discovered about 10 years ago that Protestants give up things for Lent too. And we’re hearing from a number of quarters that financial crisis and impending environmental catastrophe might be good for American bodies and souls. I only heard the word sacrifice once in President Obama’s major policy speech last night, but it’s a word we’ll all hear more and more in the months ahead.

Fasting makes simple things sweet and feasting sweeter. Even the ancient Epicureans knew that. But fasting and feasting both have to be freely chosen. This is a world where in many cultures girls eat last, and seldom eat enough. Yet in traditional areas of Mauritania, some girls are still force-fed like foie gras geese to enhance their marriage prospects. And in the West, some girls and women assert control over their bodies by starving themselves almost to death.

Diverging views about women’s bodies and the balance between motherhood and other careers are complicating approval of two important policy pieces in the news this week. The European Women’s Lobby is negotiating for European Commission policy that grants generous parental leave and other pro-family breaks without making women less attractive as employees. In the Philippines, both houses have passed what is being called the Magna Carta for women, and some churchmen are raising objections. We may see decisions on both fronts in time for International Women’s Day on March 8.

Wasn’t it fun to see more of the men calling attention to their fashion choices at the Academy Awards on Sunday? Were you as provoked as I was to see the awards for documentaries and short subjects and know they’re not likely to turn up in the local theater? Do we need to put on some pressure?

Please let us know what you think about all these topics. Be sure to share your plans for March 8. And don’t forget, the Peace X Peace documentary is still “on sale” for a small contribution. It’s the perfect centerpiece for your celebration of women.