[Sca-cooks] Speaking of Lent....

[Nick Sasso]

> -----Original Message-----
> Maire, you could have got away with eating chicken soup! You 
> would have needed an exemption from your local bishop, but if 
> you were ill (or rich!) enough you would have been allowed it 
> for medicinal purposes. Just remember that this time! ;-D
> 
> Lucrezia


This is a piece of the Medieval Lent that should not be overlooked.  It is
truly amazing to read about the various many possible means of obtaining
indulgences for the person and/or household.  The humanitarian acts and
monetary donations as well as devotional activities all carried potential
for plenary or other indulgences that are quite very useful during lent.  My
vision is that the nobility did truly have to follow the cannon on Lenten
'fasting', but also had resources to mitigate the sacrifices needed.

You might find some even more fulfilling challenges seeking out ways to
obtain indulgences and performing those during your real lent this year in
order to get indulgence for food options, and get a different feel for the
medieval Lenten experience.

If they were prevalent enough for Brother Martin to stick a dagger in the
door, then they must have been pretty well utilized.  Sure, money was a huge
factor, but there were other means of obtaining them on your own behalf by
making pilgrimages, OBSERVING SAINT VENERATION AND FEAST DAYS.  You might
also look into the feast days as opportunities in the Middle Ages.  They had
LOTs of them for real reasons . . . like lent.  you may find that observance
of Saints' officially sanctioned feast days sets aside the dietary
restrictions . . . maybe not . . . depends on time and place.

The Lenten thing is a pervasive socio-economic facet of life.  I've got no
sources for anything at this point, but remember finding piles about it when
researching in High School.  Really fill out the picture.

niccolo difrancesco
(yup, them Franciscans had indulgences, but not for money)