Lent

lend a hand!   (said one robot to another)

'Lent' comes from OE for Spring (the season, not mattress component), an Ent is the walking tree characters from Lord of the Rings; Len reminds me of Ellen (and lenticular clouds, lentils, and lentic*)

*lentic means inhabiting or near clear still water, fresh water, like lakes, ponds, swamps, and marshes.  All you limnologists know what I'm talking about!  woop woop.    Lenticular means biconvex, which means convex on both sides (as of a lens, or cloud).    Lens is a colorful term for perspective, used by Sociologists.   Like rose-colored glasses, or through the looking-glass.   For example, I conceive of illness through the lens of science, and thus doctors and their tests, not superstition or intuition.

Anyway, Catholic Lent begins today, as I was reminded.    It's a time for prayer, fasting, penitence, and alms.  It's 40 weekdays, to commemorate Jesus' fasting in the wilderness for that amount of time (this year, between 2/18-4/2).   What are alms?   gifts of food, money, etc. to the poor.    Penitence is feeling sorrow, regret, and repentance for having done wrong.  Does the word fasting have anything to do with speed?  No, it has to do with holding firm and observing a rule, steadfastly (also, from OE).   For those that might be a little "slow," that rule is abstaining from food, NOT going to a fast food restaurant (ha).  

Where was the wilderness Jesus fasted in?  The Judaean desert.   After which, he was tempted by Satan.   He passed that test, apparently.  Then what?  He returned to Galilee, to begin his ministry.   And maybe some minestrone soup, too, one might imagine.