![]() “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Juda, joy, and gladness, and great solemnities: only love ye truth and peace.” Zechariah 8:19 There is also mention of four fasting periods in the Book of Zechariah that may have had some influence over the decision: The Church sanctified these three and added a fourth season to coincide with the four natural seasons. The Romans had a threefold seasonal observance to obtain favor of the gods during sowing and harvest. The Romans were originally given to agriculture, and their native gods belonged to the same class…The Church, when converting heathen nations, has always tried to sanctify any practices which could be utilized for a good purpose.” 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia “The immediate occasion was the practice of the heathens of Rome. ![]() The 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia went on to say: However, the Church has a knack for taking up pagan practices and sanctifying them. This has gone on since the beginning of mankind. “The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.” 1917 Catholic EncylcopediaĬelebrating seasons and/or offering sacrifice for a good harvest is not a Catholic invention. The 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia had this to say about the Ember Days: I am just a sucker for rabbit holes and can’t help myself!) I will go into each of these a little more below, but first, a brief history of Ember Days (feel free to skip this part as it isn’t necessary to implement the practice. Refocusing our spiritual life through a ‘mini-lent’ Praying for vocations to the priesthood and the sanctification of priests. Thanking God for the sacraments administered under the external signs of these gifts of nature. Giving thanks to God for the gifts of nature. The more I research, the more I am amazed! To keep it as simple as possible, I want to focus on four main points of the Ember Days: Saturday was the day Christ was entombedīecause these days have developed over nearly the entire life of the Church, there are so many different meanings and symbols attached to them.Friday was the day Christ was crucified.Wednesday was the day Christ was betrayed.The Three days are symbolic in their ties to Holy Week: ![]() ![]() These 12 days are days of fasting and prayer that were required in the Church, like so many things, until the the 1960’s. The four different times coincide with the seasonal farming and harvesting times The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after those feast days are the Ember Days. The four feasts that mark the coming of the Ember Days are: Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and St. The dates are not set and change yearly based on the feast they follow. The Ember Days are a set of 3 days that take place four times a year for a total of 12 days. ![]()
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