We’re preparing our 2024 Lenten menu, and the question of corned beef came up.
[Michael] O’Leary will enjoy his corned beef on Friday with a clear conscience — thanks to a special dispensation from another Irish-American, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee.
Dolan is among dozens of bishops — from Green Bay, Wis., to Arlington, Va., to Chicago to Boston — granting one-day dispensations from Lenten rules that prohibit Roman Catholics from eating meat on Fridays to observe the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In many cases, the bishops are asking for a similar day of penance in exchange for relaxing the rules this Friday……
In exchange for his corned beef meal, O’Leary said he plans to give up something else, such as chicken wings or beer on a weekend when he’s watching sports on television.
“I will deny myself something and pay it back,” O’Leary said.
– USA Today
We would like to leverage this exemption. So, two criteria: When does Lent begin? and Is March 17th on a Friday?
Lent 2024 starts on Wednesday, February 14th SPD: SUNDAY Lent 2025 starts on Wednesday, March 5th SPD: MONDAY Lent 2026 starts on Wednesday, February 18th SPD:TUESDAY Lent 2027 starts on Wednesday, February 10th SPD: WEDNESDAY Lent 2028 starts on Wednesday, March 1st SPD:FRIDAY (yeah, leap year!) Lent 2029 starts on Wednesday, February 14th SPD: SATURDAY Lent 2030 starts on Wednesday, March 6th SPD: SUNDAY
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter. Since Sundays are not fast days, there are 40 days of traditional fasting and penance in Lent that leads up to Easter.
The earliest Easter can be is March 22 as it was last in 1818 and will be next in 2285. Ash Wednesday would be on February 4 in that case.
The latest Easter can be is April 25 as it was last in 1943 and will be next in 2038. Ash Wednesday would be on March 10.
Therefore, the earliest Lent can start is February 4 and the latest it can start is March 10.
– A Catholic Life
Therefore, St. Patrick’s day is always during Lent. This is so exciting! Counting the days!
Other Okays during Lent
A two-fer: alligator and turtle are both okay.
Puffin
Seal is a bit iffy – check with your local diocese.
Capybara – big YES.
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Note sure what restrictions are imposed on hyenas during Lent…
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Beaver
Muskrat (sans bacon)
Armadillo (again, sans bacon)
And, of course, fish.
Corned Beef
For some reason, corned beef always makes me think of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle.
The sadness in the first paragraph of Sinclair’s biography reminded me of a quote in Julie Holland’s excellent memoir Weekends at Bellevue. She says
“Nearly every shift, I’m asking myself, What do I do with this patient now that he has shown up here in my ER? What does he need from us right now? Unfortunately, the most common answer is: He needs a childhood transplant, he needs to start over—with loving parents this time, in a caring, nurturing environment.”
― Julie Holland, Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych E.R. (via GoodReads)
“reality is this: All of us, to some degree, are mentally ill. We get paranoid, anxious, depressed, and insomniac. We alternate between delusions of grandeur and crippling self-doubt, we suffer from paralyzing fears and embarrassing neuroses. We all have compulsions to do things we know we shouldn’t, and there are millions of us with addictions, whether to gambling, drinking, dieting, or playing Second Life. Every one of us has psychiatric symptoms, many of them”
― Julie Holland, Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych E.R. (via GoodReads)
Back to The Jungle
Back to Corned Beef
Honorable Mention: Luncheon Meat
Tubular Formatting:
