Mardi gras literally means Fat Tuesday, but the celebration it describes includes a lot more than just one day, and many, many different ways of being fat, all of them contrasting with the austerities of Lent. If we were in Mobile or New Orleans, Mardi Gras would include three or four weeks leading up to the Tuesday itself; hereabouts, we are not that expansive, but Mardi Gras definitely includes this whole weekend. Catholics, as most folks know, are always happy to find a reason to have a party.
During Lent, we put aside or “give up” many good things, in order to focus on the one truly good, God. Luxuries, such as sweets and desserts; entertainments, distractions, and diversions (think music, video, and film), are all truly good, but are less good than God. Even necessary goods, like meals, sleep, socializing, and warm water for bathing are less good than God. By withholding in some measure a lesser good, we rediscover the sustaining goodness of God.
But that’s Lent, and that’s next week. Right now it’s Mardi Gras and we indulge in the goodness of these created things with the same earnestness that we fast and abstain, and maybe a bit more enthusiasm.
This year for Mardi Gras, the Archdiocese of Washington is going to celebrate the goodness of God and rejoice in the goodness of created things in a way I do not recall ever happening before. On Tuesday, Cardinal Gregory will ordain two new auxiliary bishops for our local church, and there will be great rejoicing.
Just before Christmas, our Holy Father Pope Francis named two of our priests to be consecrated to serve as “helpers” to our Archbishop. That seemed strange, since we had two, though down from our usual three. But…four? That was all cleared up a few weeks ago when it was announced that one of our auxiliary bishops, Bishop Mario Dorsonville, had been appointed Bishop of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana. So, back to three auxiliaries, but wait – Bishop Dorsonville was scheduled to come here to confirm our kids on March first! Fear not; the next morning I got a call from his assistant. Bishop Dorsonville wanted to assure us he would be here for Confirmation. He will not take possession of his new see until the end of March.
So, here we are, bracing ourselves for the arrival of Lent, but first we have to consecrate two of our priests as Bishops. If that is not a party, I do not know what is. The bishops-elect, Juan Esposito-Garcia and Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, are both well known to me since they were seminarians. Evelio was studying at the North American College in Rome when I was working there with Cardinal Baum. I am not certain how I came to know Juan, but I have always gotten along well with him, and once almost managed to have him live here with me for a year while he finished his doctoral work; he is a canon lawyer.
Anyway, an ordination is always a big deal, and a double ordination of bishops is a doubly big deal. This is part of the “fat” in our Fat Tuesday this year; a richness of blessing and grace for the good of the local church.
Now that “fat” will be on Tuesday proper, but in the broader interpretation of “Mardi Gras” we here in the rectory already have plans to enjoy some of the goodness of created things in the days before Lent brings its leaner graces. In fact, some of them involve genuine “gras” – real duck fat cooked with meats and other ingredients into rich goodness, shared with a group of our brother priests. There will of course be wine, and dessert. It’s not Lent yet.
Enjoy the goodness of the earth in these days, so that we can together put them aside to focus on the even-better goodness of Heaven. I will greet you on Ash Wednesday with, Remember man that thou art dust; and unto dust thou shalt return. But to grease the transition, God has given us Mardi Gras.
Monsignor Smith
