500: An Affair of Sausages

Introduction to 500 series

At this point, Zwingli’s preachings, though deviating from Church teachings, have not aroused too much condemnation. The Church, in dealing with Luther, is reluctant to make statements against a priest pushing the boundaries, hoping that they can contain him rather than creating outrage and fracturing.

However, during Lent of 1522, Zwingli and about a dozen parishioners consciously broke the fasting rules. They distributed two smoked sausages. Zwingli preached the following Sundays that rules on food and fasting were not derived from the Bible and therefore to break the rules of fasting were not sins. This became known as the Affair of Sausages and is marked the start of the Reformation in Switzerland.

The Diocese of Constance felt that it had to react to Zwingli's blatant disregard of Church teachings. A delegation was sent to Zurich. In May, the bishop admonished Zwingli, the participating parishioners, and the city council. In turn, in July, Zwingli and some others petitioned the bishop to abolish the requirement of celibacy for clergy. The petition was printed in German and distributed to the public. It became known throughout the city that Zwingli had already secretly gotten married. The bishop responded, telling the Zurich government to maintain ecclesiastical order over their city.

Ashes and Graphite

I was recently re-watching one of my favorite series in which historians live for a year replicating a certain era as best as possible. The particular season I was watching was Victorian Farm. In the first episode they are setting up house, including opening up the large fireplace in the kitchen and installing a coal-powered range. After the new range was in place, the first thing they did was rub black graphite all over it.

I admit, I had never given much thought to why old stoves were black. The 100-year-old iron stove itself was newly restored. As the blacking process started, it didn't seem to make sense; to me, it was just rubbing grime on a clean, new stove. But the graphite serves an important role. It prevents the iron from rusting. It preserves one of the most important items in the home, insuring it will last a long time. Also, it gives the range a shiny polish to it.

I was thinking of blacking stoves this morning as people received their ashes. It look likes we’re rubbing dirt on our faces. Some find the public display a form of performative piety. But the ashes are meant to call us to humility—you are mortal; repent and believe.

Appearing Husks

From today's readings:

"When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear;
so do one’s faults when one speaks.
As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace,
so in tribulation is the test of the just.
The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had;
so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind.
Praise no one before he speaks,
for it is then that people are tested." - Sirach 27:4-7

Like so many, I was horrified and embarrassed by the weak, bullying behavior against Ukrainian President Zelenskyy during his visit to the White House this week. A man came on behalf of his people who are suffering from an unprovoked invasion. He was willing to negotiate for aid and support, even offering up the country's mineral rights. Instead, the men in the room mocked him, yelled at him, and demanded he kowtow to the invader. They taught they looked strong, but they just looked like schoolyard bullies, unable to regulate their emotions or conduct diplomacy.