The anticipation is palpable. Lent Madness 2013 begins in just three days, on Ash Thursday. Go ahead and set your alarms now: the voting kicks off at 8 a.m. Eastern time on February 14, 2013.
Here’s this week’s episode of Monday Madness. If you love our new theme music, make sure you watch the “Making of” video.
While you wait, this would be a good time to go over your preparations. Now’s when you should be ordering your Lent Madness 2013 mug (and a poster-sized bracket, too!). If this is your first time at Lent Madness, you might want to review Maple Anglican’s excellent Voting 101 video.
Please take the commercialism out of Lent. I don’t care for the way that you sell material goods. Now is the time to prepare. To be thoughtful. To reflect. To give. And to give up. It is not a time for annoying people with continued efforts with pathetic sales pitches. Please. Stop. Focus on what is important. Here’s a hint — it isn’t something you pour coffee into.
Claire, please check out the Forward Movement link in the sidebar for more serious “actual” Lenten resources. Lent Madness is a different sort of spiritual exercise.
Please also be warned that Lent Madness only gets worse from here on in – if tradition holds, later in the contest there will be a whole week of the worst commercial saintly kitsch the celebrity bloggers can find. You may not want to see that.
Lent Madness is more for those of Unregenerate Will like myself whom God reaches out to by sending people to peddle the Important in a guise of Silliness & Fun…”fools for Christ” I think Paul called ’em (sorry, SEC!).
Thank you, Claire. The Lent Madness approach isn’t for everyone — we have fun, we learn about saints, we engage in some holy schtick. I guess the best way to put this is that there’s “No purchase necessary” to play Lent Madness. As I like to say, “This isn’t your grandfather’s Lenten devotion.” None of which is to say we don’t take the season of Lent seriously. Indeed, it’s precisely our passion for Jesus that fuels Lent Madness.
Is the rumor true that the pope is resigning to give full attention to Lent Madness?
Holy crow – this is half true! Lent Madness, your best source for breaking church news…
Yes, Lisa. Specifically he’s decided to become Oscar Romero’s full-time campaign manager.
I rather like those “pathetic sales pitches” of Lent Madness . . . even something as mundane as a mug has the power to spread the good news, so bring ’em on, pour the coffee, and learn about some saints whilst our Alleluias are shut up in the box until March 31.
this is fantastic, may I create a board for my campus ministry? Also, is that a typo with Ash Thursday? Or an inside comment from lentmadness?
Did anyone else think Scott resembled the people in the pictures on the walls at Hogwarts??
No, Kayleigh, Lent Madness starts on what we like to call “Ash Thursday” — the second day of Lent. We’re considering trademarking it.
Thanks Tim! Also was wondering is this a Catholic thing?
According to their graces, the color commentators, the Bishop of Rome’s resignation is to permit him to help Gregory. Can’t see Benedict coddling up to Romero.
Anyone Benedict backs I’m voting against. Just putting it out there
Is Benedict going to keep his twitter account post-resignation to advance his saints cause ?
I was rather surprised that PaddyPower.com has no mention of Lent Madness. They have posted the odds on the Pope’s successor.
Kayleigh — well, it was started by an Episcopal priest (me) and now I have another Episcopal priest as my partner in Lenten crime (Scott). But we’re trying to keep things broad with saints from all across the board. We can all learn plenty from one another!
Not Catholic; catholic, in the best sense.
Let us not make a mockery of good coffee, especially since (YA-DA!!!!!-sound of trumpets) I just got my 2013 LENT MADNESS cup and my official poster that’s taking up a lot of wall space in the Great Room (don’t ask). I am now ready to be up by 7am(CST) to vote and it’s none of your beeswax who it’ll be.
Ready! We here in Guam begin a day ahead, so I guess my first vote will be on Ash Friday? But the coffee will be brewed and The Lord will be with us.
Question: Anne who going up against Benedict of Nursia? St. Anne mother of Mary? Anne Bolyne? (spelling) I google Anne and get a whole lot of them.
Thank you.
Good question, Patty. It’s the mother of Mary. We considered Anne Hathaway and Ann Taylor but went with Mary’s mom.