Nothing says “Lent” like fish sticks and macaroni-and-cheese, at least for me.
Nearly every Friday night leading up to Easter, that was the dinner menu in the Jasper home. Now that’s not to say that Mom wouldn’t surprise us every now and then with an Ellio’s Pizza or grilled cheese and tomato soup, but mostly we could count on Friday fish sticks.
I don’t know if I loved them, to be honest. Knowing how I was as a child, I am sure I complained and then smothered them in ketchup in order to swallow them.
Decades later, however, I find myself feeling nostalgic for those meals. There was something so simple and pure about those Lenten Friday nights: nothing elaborate; nothing too rich or indulgent. We just sat as a family around the table and enjoyed each other’s company before Mom would leave to go to our parish’s Stations of the Cross devotions.
At the heart of who we are as Catholics, we do love our traditions. Some are filled with pomp and circumstance, smells and bells. Others are quiet and simple, like fish sticks on Lenten Fridays. In a world that has become quite harried these days, please take some time to embrace the traditions our faith offers. Bring your children or a friend to Stations on Friday nights at 6:30 pm or just take some dedicated time to sit around the table one night and share your lives while sharing a meal. What we celebrate together at Mass can be modeled in our homes as well.
Just make sure you have some ketchup on hand if you’re serving fish sticks on Fridays … trust me!