Cinderella, New Orleans & A New Creation

Mar 4

Many years ago, I read a newspaper report on Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I was fascinated that amid the eating, drinking, dancing, and celebrating, the party abruptly ends at midnight. Even in the secular atmosphere of the French Quarter, everyone recognizes that as Tuesday gives way to Wednesday, a more somber and penitential time begins. The parade of partygoers gives way to a procession of police officers and street sweepers cleaning the streets.

The midnight deadline of Carnival reminds me of the fairytale, Cinderella. In the story, Cinderella had to be home from the royal ball before the clock strikes twelve. At midnight, the magic fades, and Cinderella returns to her ordinary life. She realizes she can no longer pretend and must go back to reality. She must embrace her true self while still dreaming of becoming something new. In the end, the prince finds Cinderella in her own home and brings her to the palace, where she will be transformed into a princess.

In some ways, this is a perfect metaphor for how we approach the Lenten season. As “Fat Tuesday” has given way to Ash Wednesday, the lingering “magic” and celebrations of Christmas and Carnival finally come to an end. We return to our ordinary routines and regular ways of living life. The gold and glitter disappear, and the Mardi Gras masks are taken off. We remove the costumes and clothe ourselves in sackcloth and mark ourselves with ashes. Like Cinderella, we get back to work, humbly serving our sisters and brothers. In our Lenten duties and devotions, we are transformed into disciples and strive to transform the world into God’s kingdom.

This transformation begins with Jesus going into the desert at the beginning of His public ministry. After the extraordinary moment of His baptism, Jesus went into the desert to discover that He is ordinary. He realized that hunger, thirst, and loneliness are a part of being truly human. This experience helped Jesus recognize His call to be close to the poor, the lonely, the beggar, the leper, and the child. For us, Lent can also be a kind of initiation into our own humanness.

It is the Salesian way to discover the closeness of God in everyday moments. In our regular lives, among our family and friends, we strive to be holy. Lent is our calendar, our clock, signaling a new day. Each day is a fresh start, a chance to be truly human. The masks are off, the costumes are put away. We can be transformed into a new creation if we embrace our true selves and our true calling.