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Today, since the most folks have to contend with is having enough money to buy food at the grocery store (an obstacle, I admit, made increasingly difficult by lowering wages and increasing food prices), it\u2019s easy to lose touch with this simple connection to the bountiful grace of God.\u00a0 We can actually be lulled into believing that it\u2019s from our own industry and hard work that we made the money from the company we work for that was needed to drive to the store and buy packaged food from a shelf.\u00a0 It can\u2019t be anything but easier to connect with God when we are the ones with dirt on our hands, out in the mud and fields, blisters and calluses as we watch from seed to fruit the results of our labors, and see first hand the complex cycle of life and renewal that works its way through our efforts by the manifold blessings of God.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/a>Now two things have diminished this seasonal celebration.\u00a0 One is, of course, the industrialization and technological advancements of the age.\u00a0 As I said, that separates us from the down and dirty life of a farmer who, contrary to popular beliefs, is not a mere moron, but is one who can appreciate the gifts of the soil.\u00a0 The other was Vatican II.\u00a0 Like so many things Catholic, the good Church\u2019s attempts to make a kinder, gentler religion was seen by many as a great excuse to dump all that religious stuff.\u00a0 Vatican II meant never having to say you\u2019re Catholic.\u00a0 Since we already lived in a secularized, post-Protestant culture anyway, it took almost no effort to adopt the calendar set by schools, movie releases, and Madison Avenue, rather than anything passed down through the ages by the wisdom of the Church.<\/p>\n

So sad to say, there won\u2019t be much focus on this year\u2019s Ember Days.\u00a0 In fact, one can attend a Catholic Church for many years and not hear of so many things that once defined the yearly life of a devout Catholic.\u00a0 If you wish to follow this custom, check out the always handy Fish Eaters website<\/a> for some quick information.\u00a0 It\u2019s a\u00a0Catholic site with sympathies aimed more toward the pre-Vatican II days.\u00a0 Still, it\u2019s handy for a one-stop-shop location for some of the tidbits of traditional Catholic living.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t complete, but it\u2019s a good overview.\u00a0 Plus, any website that integrates Catholic traditions with James Whitcomb Riley can\u2019t be all bad. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"