Father Laurence on 40 days without Crisps and Self Centredness

Father Laurence Freeman

That huge supply of hula hoops left uneaten by the troops last month will just have to stay in the cupboard for another 45 days as Grandpa and I head into Lent.  Other things go too, chocolate, wine and crisps are out.  Curiously we look forward to it, knowing perhaps that first of all we need it but secondly, going without some favourite things can make others, usually rather overlooked, appear delightful.  Nobody is asking us to give up toast and butter, to give up hot baths and blazing log fires.  We can still go walking by the sea and go to the cinema, we can enjoy our friends and do jigsaw puzzles, we aren't going to starve in a cold hovel, we are staying at home together.  Staying at home or rather finding ourselves at home is part of this talk by one of the great heroes of meditation, Father Laurence who gave this talk on Ash Wednesday a year ago.  It makes sense of  Lent and why it is to be welcomed.  We might see where we could reduce our self-centredness and that has to be a good thing as well as reducing our waistlines by abstaining from the crisps, the chocolate and the wine.  I have found it utterly compelling listening