I have a thing with oats. Anyone who really knows me will know that I can talk for hours about the art of baked oatmeal.
For instance, did you know that oats are high sources of B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium? Did you also know that eating those same oats can block the absorption of all those good things, aiding in mineral deficiencies, intolerances, and bone loss? It sounds crazy, but it’s true.
But people have been eating oats and other grains for centuries, you say. Yes, but they did something different back then. Today we are a generation of microwaveable quick oats, but in days past people spent hours preparing theirs by soaking them. It made all the difference.
Oats and all grains (seeds and nuts too) are covered with phytic acid. The phytic acid acts as a food storage for the actual seed if it should fall to the ground and sprout. But when humans eat indigestible phytic acid, it combines with other stuff in your gut and blocks absorption of the vitamins and minerals you thought you were getting.
This means that the way we usually eat oats is kind of like eating straw. But by soaking oats first, all of the good stuff becomes available and digestible.
So, what does it mean to “soak oats”? It means that the night before you want to eat them, you take the dry thick oats, cover them with warm, clean water and a portion of something acidic, such as plain yogurt or lemon juice. In the morning, you rinse the oats and put them in boiling water as usual. So, to get the good stuff from oats, the poor things need to soak in acid!
This idea of soaking away the bad to get at the good led me to the concept of Lent. There is a very modern suggestion that fasting and mortification of all kinds are outdated and prudish. Instead, people are turning to the do-something-good-instead method of Lent. It all sounds very positive and progressive, but it is missing out on the entire point of what Lent is. They want the vitamins without the acid.
By its very definition, Lent is a time of fasting, penance, prayer, and almsgiving. I can’t fairly say I’m participating in Lent if I do none of those things.
As Christians, we are called at all times to do those something-good actions. We are expected to “fast from gossip” and do acts of kindness every day. That is the everyday life of a Christian. But Lent is distinct from those everyday expectations because it is one of the few times a year that we are called to make deliberate acts of mortification in preparation for those positive acts. Lent is our time to soak!
Christ himself said there are types of demons that can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. He himself fasted (40 days!) before starting his ministry. He told his disciples, “when you fast” – not “if you fast” – to do it cheerfully.
Why? Lent is a time for Christians to soak away the hardness of our hearts and selfishness that prevent us from doing the good things we are called to do. When we do penance with a sincere heart, we are telling God, and ourselves, that desires, emotions, and habits need to be mastered before we can be effective witnesses growing in holiness.
Giving something up is an action and a sign that God is foremost on our minds, and that to serve him we are willing to do the hard work of self-mastery. If we cannot get through a few hours without eating a cookie, can we go out into a world of sin and vice and successfully stand against temptation?
Lent allows us to empty ourselves of worldly cravings so as to be filled up with God’s good, eternal, fulfilling love. The sometimes painful acts of soaking can lead to an abundance of goodness, ready and available to be absorbed by a depleted world.
Here’s my baked oatmeal recipe:
- Measure 6 cups of oats and a handful of walnuts. Cover with water. Stir in half-cup of plain yogurt and cover with tea towel. Let sit 8 hours (or overnight).
- Rinse well. Whisk together ½ cup melted butter, 2 cups milk, 6 eggs, 1 tbsp vanilla, ½ cup sugar, pinch of salt, 2 tbsp cinnamon (and cloves!).
- Mix with oats. Add scoop of coconut, apple pieces, a few shakes of chia and ground flax seed, and some berries or raisins.
- Put in buttered 9” × 13” pan. Slice some banana on top and bake for 60–90 minutes at 375°F.
My kids love this with a little drizzle of maple syrup and milk.
