Week of February 26, 2001
Rosemary S.

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
     Jer. 29:12

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."
     Col. 1:10:

Despite the fact that holiday wreathes still hang on many of the doors I see as I drive around town, the liturgical calendar says that Lent is about to begin. The purple banner and hangings will be seen on altars and pulpit in sanctuaries, people will gather during the coming week to receive ashes on their foreheads, to symbolize that humans come from dust and will one day return to dust. People will talk about what they will "give up" for Lent; the days will lengthen, and winter will slowly turn to spring, with the promise of new life and Easter celebrations.

RecentIy, I came across an article in the newsletter from a near-by congregation that tells of the connection between pretzels and Lent. Here is another example of how, like the candy cane at Christmas, secular treats can be turned into reminders of our religious lives. You can find recipes for pretzels in most cookbooks, or else ask me and I'll give you a copy of the recipe I have. It's not difficult, and would make a fine family project during the coming season.

Next time you eat a pretzel, you will think of it not only as a delicious snack, but as a reminder of your faith and a motivation for prayers. Most of all, whenever you see a pretzel, let it remind you to say a prayer for all the good things you have in your life.

What Do Pretzels And Lent Have In Common?

This humble food comes in a variety of shapes, flavors, and with coatings that would have amazed the humble monk who invented the pretzel sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries in southern France or northern Italy. A young monk was preparing unleavened bread for Lent, the Christian period of fasting and penitence before Easter. Christians of the day prayed with their arms folded across their chests, each hand on the opposite shoulder. It occurred to him that he could twist the leftover dough from the bread into this shape and use it as a treat for the children to recite their prayers. Idling with leftover strips of dough, the monk-baker supposedly twisted and turned them until they resembled a person's arms crossed in prayer. The brother monks approved the tidbits, and began using them as rewards for the children under their tutelage.

The monks used the inter-connected sections of the "pretiola" (literally, "little prayers"-- or sometimes called "bracellae", the Latin for "little arms") to help the children understand the Christian Trinity of "Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Their success with the re-shaped snippets spread to monasteries far and wide, and soon the pretzel became an important symbol in church life. A page from the prayer book of Catherine of Cleves depicts St.Bartholomew surrounded by pretzels, which were thought to bring good fortune, prosperity and spiritual wholeness to those who ate them.

When early Christians abstained from rich foods during lent, they baked a bread shaped into arms crossed in prayer. The Sunday before Ash Wednesday was known as Pretzel Sunday, to remind people to think about the meaning of Lent and to bake this bread during Lent. Pretzels served as a reminder to pray and each hole within the pretzel represented the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Pretzels were never served after Palm Sunday. European immigrants brought pretzels to America, and now they are served all year.

Pretzels were a convenient way to hand food to the poor, and became typical alms for the hungry. Apparently the homeless did not line up for soup or a sandwich, but for their daily pretzel. And those who gave the pretzels away were considered particularly blessed.

O Lord, throught these forty days
You prayed and kept the fast
Inspire repentance for our sin
And free us from the past.
 
Be with us through this season, Lord
And all our earthly days
That when the final Easter dawns,
We join in heaven's praise.
(Hymn 99, LBW)

Contributed by Rosemary S.
Published Monday February 26, 2001
Week 14 of Liturgical Year C