Ember Wednesday

Most Catholics under fifty don't know what Ember Days are.  Even those who follow the traditional calendar seem to get confused by them.  The Council didn't abolish them.  I'd always thought that Paul VI had done so in his decree on fasting and abstinence (Pænitimini) but it only removes the obligation to fast and (semi)-abstain.  In an Orwellian twist they were prominently mentioned in the norms issued for the revised calendar - they even got their own section - but were omitted from the calendar itself!  Of course the instruction that "the conferences of bishops should arrange the time and plan for their celebration" has carried about as much weight in the post-Conciliar Church as the prescriptions in Sacrosanctum Concilium that Latin be "retained" and Gregorian Chant be given "pride of place".

There are some good sources on the Internet to assist in understanding and observing the Ember Days:  I'd recommend the website - still extant - of the late and lamented Holy Trinity Parish in Boston for a good, quick overview of their purpose, significance, and practice.  Also, Fisheaters has some additional material on customs and traditions.  Finally, an excellent article by Dr. Michael Foley which contains some of the same material as the Holy Trinity website (he may have originally compiled it) and a good deal more.

It's always interesting to me that right in the midst of Lent, while we're already likely to be fasting and abstaining, we have three days on which in which we're expected to... fast and abstain!  Nowadays, with the greatly relaxed rules of Fast and Abstinence, they may in fact be an occasion for the temporary escalation of one's Lenten mortifications.  But in the "bad old days" when adult Catholics were bound to fast throughout all of Lent - not just on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday - and abstain on all of the Fridays of the year, it's difficult to see what more one could do in that regard.  But in the other seasons of the year they served a useful role as a sort or quarterly spiritual tune-up, I like to think of them as "mini-Lents".  Seems like we could use some of that sort of thing these days.

The other thing about the Ember Days that has always piqued my interest is the liturgical oddities which mark the Masses celebrated on those days.  Frequently there are extra readings - the Ember Wednesday in Lent has an Old Testament lesson, an Epistle, and the Gospel.  The Ember Saturdays are even wilder, with as many as seven readings, complete with Graduals and prayers interspersed, and genuflections not unlike those of Good Friday.  In fact the Ember Days share with the liturgies of Holy Week the deviation from the usual liturgical schema and the addition of extra readings and prayers.

(So, after writing this I went off to Mass at noontime, but to my surprise Father appeared in RED vestments!  Seems it was the feast of St. Matthias, which according to the Ordo trumps the Ember Day although it does get a commemoration.  I learn something new every day...)