Our household will be enjoying palm-burning, throat-blessing and dessert-tasting on Sunday...and, no that has nothing to do with Superbowl party plans!

In an unusual confluence of dates, Ash Wednesday occurs next Wednesday, the 6th. Thus, we are to return our blessed palms from last year's Palm Sunday to church this week, where they will be burned and blessed for the ashes for Wednesday's ceremony.

Because people are usually so busy during the week, there is also a bake sale Sunday  with assorted homemade goodies, so we can "fatten up" in a tamer version of a Mardi Gras celebration. And finally, Sunday Feb. 3rd is ALSO St. Blaise Day which means that AFTER Mass there will be ANOTHER ceremony for the traditional blessing of the throats. The gist of the legend is that St. Blaise saved someone who was choking on a fish bone.

So, I'm wondering, if I have my throat blessed prior to ingesting grand quantities of dessert, does that mean all those goodies are calorie-free that day? I also have to fear many tasteless (but, of course, funny) innunedos from my husband having to do with throats and bones and...oh you get the idea!