Is it a coincidence that on Day 2 of my Lenten Ramadan Rep. Peter King (R-NY) will begin hearings to investigate the presence of "radical Islam" in the U.S.? (I am eager to know how he defines "radical Islam." My gut feeling would be it is "any Islam.") As a counterbalance I also include this commentary from a Catholic in the Pax Christi movement regarding the inherent Islamophobia which will no doubt be revealed in such hearings.
Day 1 observations:
NOTE: I have no idea how this blog will take shape over the next several weeks. My intent is neither to bore you with how hungry I was at 3 in the afternoon nor to assume I would be capable of providing inspiring spiritual guidance. I can envision that some days will include more of the nuts and bolts of fasting and other days that fasting may lead me to sharing (what may be for me) poignant thoughts and insights. I will let you be the judge.
Pizza rarely (if ever!) tasted that good! Day 1 was pretty unremarkable in that ALL Catholics are called to fast on Ash Wednesday, though the guidelines for that fast differ from a Ramadan fast. The bowl of Cheerios, banana and cup of coffee at 6:30 am got me through the morning until pizza for my mother-in-law's birthday at about 7:30 pm. I was meticulous about not licking my fingers (or the knife) after making Nicholas a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. I see this as a potential eye-opener as time goes on . . . how often during the day I almost subconsciously snack while making the boys' lunches, preparing dinner or munching on a brownie in the teachers' lounge.
Well, I cannot guarantee the frequency of my posting this weekend. We are off to Winter Park, Colorado for skiing in two hours . . . (a six hour car drive and no snacking? My first test). I am not taking my laptop and I do not have a "smart phone." I am assuming the hotel has a computer I can use to provide a couple of pithy posts this weekend about how Rama-Lent is working on the slopes.
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