Today’s feast used to usher in a forty-day period of fasting prior to Christmas. Actually, St Martin’s Day, or Martinmas, was a day more akin to Mardi Gras, with much revelry and feasting. The traditional dinner for the day is goose, which connects to the legend of Martin joining a stable full of geese to hide from those who would make him bishop. Would that we had such reluctant bishops today!
Pope Benedict had some good words on the soldier-turned-monk-turned-bishop.
A series of images on the in illo tempore blog, of which this is one.
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i first heard of Saint Martin’s Lent in an old book called “Franciscan Days” it is a 365 page book following the sayings and acts of Saint Francis. it was written in 1909 and is more than likely out of print. Saint Francis observed this time of fast.