economies, Lenten fasting had a certain economic and agricultural logic to it: necessity mothering virtue. It was also a reminder of our state of ecological dependence -- on the seasons, on farm workers -- which modern urban living has almost completely lost. Tomatoes from the Canaries, beans from Guatemala, cherries from California, lamb from New Zealand, are shipped in to keep the supermarket shelves stocked regardless of the calendar, regardless of the food miles. One form of Lenten observance would be to refuse to eat anything that had travelled more than 50 miles to reach the dinner table. That at least would reacquaint the menu with the seasons. Lent is not mere misery for the sake of it, however, but a time of preparation. The spiritual exercises associated with it are focused on the events in Jesus' earthly ministry as it drew to a close, heading for its culmination in Holy Week and then on Easter morning. The physical deprivations of Lent, mild though they nowadays are, nevertheless represent also a physical preparation: the soul has its sins to lose, the body its fat -- all making straight the way of the Lord. If it is a time to repent and visit the confessional, it is also time to repair our bodies and make for the gym. The idea of sin as dross to be burnt away by penance is not unlike a good physical work-out, burning off the calories. Lent was also a time for alms-giving, and the modern