Lent and Cocoa Puffs

I was in Kings just prior to lunchtime on the first Friday in Lent. And so I bought a box of Cocoa Puffs and a half gallon of milk so that I might satisfy the meatless Friday rule.

Until that day I never questioned exactly why the Catholic Church created the rule in the first place although I suspected the abstinence had to do with sacrifice.

So as with all things I do not understand, I googled it. And I learned that Fridays were not to be meatless—the literal translation was fleshless. The idea was to stay away from (sins of) the flesh. It also had to do with the fact that Jesus sacrificed his flesh for eternal life.

The bottom line was that not eating flesh (or meat) was supposed to be an ascetic work.

But for me, eating pizza, lox and bagels, pasta, fish and seafood is cause for celebration. I consider those foods an indulgence-- and not a sacrifice.

Fridays in Lent are an opportunity for me to feel good about being bad.

And so today I will forgo the Cocoa Puffs in lieu of Cheerios. I like them just the same and the box says they are heart healthy. Therefore I may justify my indulgence not as a reminder of sins of the flesh but as a reminder of the (healthy) Sacred Heart of Jesus.