Gone are the Shamrocks, Here Come the Sesame Seeds

"Is not this the carpenter's son?"  ~Matthew 13:55

When I was a kid, we always had to give up candy for Lent. So when Saint Patrick's Day would roll around on March 17th, it always felt like I had died and gone to Green Heaven. I got to consume all sorts of green flavored, green infused, and green shaped goodies. After a celebration like that, I remember being entirely unimpressed when Saint Joseph's feast day came rolling around only two days later on March 19th, and the only big attraction was some nasty dry bread (usually in pretzel form) that had been kneaded entirely too much and passed around like playdough among me and my siblings until it finally make it to the oven. Incidentally, I shudder to think how many germs I consumed as a kid.

Today I wondered about this quiet Saint. How come Saint Patrick gets to have all the fun and Saint Joseph has to eat some crummy old bread? Well, I did a little research and it turns out that I have just been on the wrong continent this whole time. Italians, who are much better bakers than I am, actually make quite a feast out of Saint Joseph's feast day. However, their approach is a little different than the Irish. Instead of beer, there'll be lemonade; instead of corned beer, there'll be fish; and instead of shamrocks there'll be sesame seeds. Where the shamrock represents the Trinity, the thousands of sesame seeds covering the various baked goods represent thousands of tears. In other words, Saint Patrick's Day provides a relief from Lent by completely throwing off the robes of fasting and solemnity, whereas Saint Joseph's provides a relief while still embracing it, almost snuggling in. There is a lot to learn from both ways of celebrating, especially during time of hardship. Sometimes you have to find a way integrate the sorrow and the joy, and simply celebrate life amidst the tears.