Those observing the Christian calendar have just entered into the season of Lent. The word lent comes from the German verbiage, lenctentid which means the time of lengthening and flowering or Spring.
During this holy observance, as with many natural laws, we see the power of the Wisdom of Three at work. We are asked to follow the Three Lenten Principles
- Prayer
- Fasting
- Almsgiving
In today’s fast paced, modern society it is harder than it used to be for us to tie all three of these together but that is exactly what we are called to do and after reading this you might find it a bit easier to do.
In years past, when people fasted, the uneaten food was given to the poor as almsgiving. In addition to being the right thing to do, it made perfect sense considering there were very limited ways in which food could be preserved for long periods of time. With all the modern conveniences we do not have to worry about food going to waste, so for many of us, it is not even a consideration to distribute our leftovers to those less fortunate.
Always eager to learn, I did uncover what I believe to be a very interesting fact that I was unaware of. Many years ago, German monks made their own special Lenten food which allowed them to just what they wanted to do. Thanks to these creative holy men, we now enjoy these treats year round.
In the early church, during the Lenten season, people refrained from meat, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese as a way of giving those foods to the poor who struggled to even taste those staples as often as once a year. In the early 600s, these faithful monks, adhering to a strict fast; created soft bread out of flour, water and salt and shaped it into crossed arms resembling a prayerful stance. These small snack sized breads were called bracellae, a Latin word meaning “little arms”. The German villagers translated this to what we know today as a pretzel.
So now whenever you see a pretzel, you will be mindful of the Three Lenten Principles, taught to you by long forgotten Solutionary monks:
The crossed arms of prayer provided through the meager snack of fasting which allows us to give the more indulgent foods as alms to those in need.
If this is my last post, I want all to know there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, Author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”.
www.modernsolutionary.com
