I’ve always equated my research to digging for buried treasure. I get to rediscover captivating traditions of our faith and trace back the layers of history from which they were formed. Recently, I unearthed one I had heard of but knew nothing about: Ember Days.

I would conjecture that most Catholics are unaware of Ember Days because they were observed prior to the late 20th century. They consist of three days of fasting and prayer (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) four times per year.

The four Embertides revolve around the changing of the seasons and take place in the spring (after Ash Wednesday), summer (after Pentecost), fall (after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) and winter (after the feast of St. Lucy).

Ember Days date back to ancient Rome. When Christianity came to Rome, the pagan festivities lost favor and the seasonal celebrations became more somber and penitential. Pope Gelasius (492-96) initiated the ordination of priests and deacons on the Saturday of the Embertide. Soon after, the observance of the Ember Days spread to other countries throughout Europe, and the faithful were encouraged to fast and pray for the newly ordained.

September is upon us and so are the autumn Ember Days (Sept. 21, 23 and 24). Since the early Christians gave thanks for the grape harvest during these days, I came up with a simple recipe that coincided with that theme and reflected the penitential tone of the Embertide. I couldn’t help but think of Luke 10:2: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

I think it is worthy of our time to return to this age-old tradition of fasting and praying for our newly ordained whom the Lord calls as shepherds. And it would bless us to rekindle the tradition of Ember Days to pray in gratitude for the bounty that comes from God.