April 4, 2012
Listen to me and answer me;
I have no peace, because of my cares.
I am shaken by the noise of the enemy
and by the pressures of the wicked. Psalm 55:2-3
Is snacking on pretzels really breaking my Lenten fast, I wonder, as I carry a handful back to my desk with me. After all, pretzels are a traditional Lenten food.
I am hungry today. I ate a full breakfast, then two tangerines, and now these pretzels. I brought lunch from home, but I am already contemplating going out instead. Maybe even getting dessert.
I realize the pretzels themselves are not the problem. It is snacking that is off limits for me during Lent. But that is not really the issue either. It is the hunger. What I hunger for, yearn for, is not something the pretzels can fill.
I am acquainted with this hunger. I recognize that the only way to assuage it is to abandon myself completely to the emptiness. I discern the temptation to stop short of the bareness that precedes new life.
I know all this. Nevertheless, I put one more salty bit into my mouth.
copyright © Anne E. Kitch 2012
