Eating & Drinking Liturgically: Why We Do It Pt. 1
By Sarah White,
When learning about how to bring the liturgical calendar into your own home and kitchen, it’s important to know about the liturgical calendar itself. Why do we have different seasons? What is the purpose? Why follow it at all? And, as always, the Catechism has some answers.
The “Holy Church believes that she should celebrate the saving work of her divine Spouse in a sacred commemoration on certain days throughout the course of the year.” (CCC 1163) The Catholic Church knows and recognizes many different types of suffering, yes, but the Church also values celebration and joy! All the seasons throughout the year have to do with Jesus Christ and the Paschal Mystery, as well as specific days within the seasons (think: Christmas during Advent) and weekly days within each week of the year (think: every Sunday being a day set aside for rest). Everything in the liturgical calendar is meant to celebrate the saving work of the Son of God.
The beginning of the liturgical calendar is the Easter Triduum, where we reverently remember and celebrate Jesus Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection over the course of three days. Following the Triduum is the Easter season, which is a celebration that lasts for 50 days. We then spend about six months in Ordinary Time before transitioning into Advent, then Christmas, then another handful of weeks of Ordinary Time before coming into Lent, which leads us right back to the Triduum.
In annually observing the cycles of the liturgical calendar, the Church calls out two different purposes:
In celebrating this annual cycle of the mysteries of Christ, (the) Holy Church honors the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, with a special love. She is inseparably linked with the saving work of her Son. In her, the Church admires and exalts the most excellent fruit of redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image, that which she herself desires and hopes wholly to be.
When the Church keeps the memorials of martyrs and other saints during the annual cycle, she proclaims the Paschal mystery in those who have suffered and have been glorified with Christ. She proposes them to the faithful as examples who draw all men to the Father through Christ, and through their merits she begs for God's favors. (CCC 1172-1173)
Celebrating the cycles of the liturgical calendar grounds us in honoring the Holy Trinity and in the woman whose yes brought the Third Person of the Holy Trinity into this world. Celebrating the saints allows us to continually call to mind what it means to suffer well, to love well, and to follow the will of God well… not just as spectators unable to achieve the same reality, but as sons and daughters of Christ who are all worthy of aiming for sainthood too.
Recipes
Taken from Drinking with the Saints and Cooking with the Saints
Saint Benedict the Moor, April 4
Saint Benedict was the son of African slaves who had converted to Christianity, and he was graced with the desire to become a Franciscan friar in Sicily in the late 1500s. He is known as a model of charity, especially when it comes to dealing with racial injustice. He is the patron saint of African missions and of all African Americans. Raise your glass to his life and ask for his intercession in the work for racial equality with:
Moor Cocktail
1 ¾ oz gin
¾ oz sweet vermouth
1 lemon twist for garnish
Pour the gin and sweet vermouth into a mixing glass with ice and shake until cold.
Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the lemon.
Saint Walter, April 8
Saint Walter of Pontoise was a professor of philosophy and rhetoric, and was a member of the Benedictines. He is the patron saint of winemakers, merchants, and those suffering from job-related stress. He struggled greatly with avoiding vanity in his work or the lack thereof––laziness. You could celebrate this saint with a charcuterie board, your favorite glass of wine and a prayer for him to intercede for those who are stressed in their jobs. For a non-alcoholic drink of choice, try any flavor of HopTea, sold in cans at most grocery stores. It’s brewed with hops so it tastes like beer, but it’s a gluten-free, alcohol-free, delicious spring drink.
Saint Vincent Ferrer, April 5
Saint Vincent grew up in Aragon, Spain within a family who tended well to the poor and those in need. At the sweet age of eight, it is said he began to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. By eighteen, he was a Dominican, and was later ordained a priest in Barcelona. He traveled a lot––through Spain, Italy, France, Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland––and is remembered as one of the Church’s greatest preachers. To celebrate his life, you can make:
Cerdo Adobado (Pork in Adobo)
3 tsp Oregano
3 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Cumin
1 Garlic clove (chopped)
Pinch of Salt
1 Cup Olive Oil
4 Pork Chops
Combine the oregano, paprika, turmeric, cumin, garlic clove ,and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl. Add the cup of olive oil to form a sauce.
Place the pork chops into a baking dish, and spoon ⅓ of the sauce over the pork. Flip the chops, and repeat. Place in your fridge for anywhere from a few hours to overnight. Save the remaining sauce at room temperature.
Next, bring a skillet over medium heat and add the pork chops and some more sauce. Cover the skillet, and cook the pork chops for about 4 minutes on each side, or until the meat has come to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Remove the chops from the heat, spoon any remaining sauce over them, and serve with any side dish of your choosing!
