All Saints North Shore Faith, Love and Practice

By Fran Weil A member of the All Saint's Blogging Team It's that time of year again: Lent. Many of us who are Christians walk the walk of this somber time, but can't quite talk the talk about why we observe. Why do we celebrate Shrove Tuesday and what -- beyond walking around with an ash cross imposed on our foreheads -- is Ash Wednesday really about? We listen to the homilies, we read and hear scripture, but for many of us, absorbing it all needs a Cliff Notes version of Lent, or a "Lent 101." Want to dig a little deeper and unpack the various, intriguing aspects of Lent? Read on. Why do we celebrate Shrove Tuesday? (Hint: it is the last day before Lent, which ushers in a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge, share and make good use of foods that might otherwise be wasted. And yes, we eat lots of pancakes flooded with syrup and fatty bacon and sausages, and cookies and cakes! Waste not,

From the Rev. Marya DeCarlen: In December, Pope Francis made news by suggesting that the words of the Lord’s Prayer should be changed from “lead us not into temptation” to “do not let us fall into temptation.” With a wee bit of research I learned that he actually commended the French translation for making it clear that God doesn’t push us into temptation, but rather picks us up when we fall. He suggested that Italian and other translations may consider similar changes, to be more theologically correct. Christian doctrine does not include God tempting us to do evil, but helps us be freed from it. We all fall into temptation at various points in our lives, but God does not push us into it. After sharing this news with our worship team at All Saints North Shore, and suggesting that we might want to be on a different diet of the Lord’s Prayer during Lent, I learned firsthand that many people still have the traditional Lord’s Prayer memorized.  It surely is the best known r

Welcome, friends! Here, at our new blog, "Faith, Love and Practice," I invite you comment -- safely and with an open heart and mind -- about faith ... and even politics and popular culture ... where they sometimes converge. Here, I invite you to join the conversation as we explore what challenges and inspires us as Christians, who seek to grow in our faith. I ask only that we be civil, respectful and kind to each other, and that we maintain language that is suitable for young children, should they wander in. I hope you will share with us, by commenting and thinking out loud about what moves you as a person of faith, love and practice. Bookmark us at ASNSfaithlovepractice.blogspot.com and come visit often. You'll be welcome here! Blessings, Marya DeCarlen+ Rector, All Saints Episcopal Church of the North Shore, Danvers.