This is How I Lent

I’ve mentioned before that I was raised in a Catholic family and went to Catholic school for pre-k through 12th grade.

In that time I had gone through the ebbs and flows of identifying as Catholic in today’s world. Outside of the almost normal questioning period of “But if God exists why does X, Y, Z horrible thing exist?”, I had to come to terms that I can still be a great Catholic and love God and the Church without adhering to some of the archaic teachings, specifically those around social issues such as Female Reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ Rights.

But that’s not the point of this post, though I do feel better clarifying it. 

I want to talk about my Lenten Journey this year. 

If you were out and about this past Wednesday, chances are you saw at least one or two people with a black smudge on their forehead. These smudges are actually ashes that are applied to the forehead of a Catholic on “Ash Wednesday”, which is the first day of a liturgical season of repentance and reflection that lead up to Holy Week and subsequentially, Easter. 

Some of the more common things known about Lent are that Catholics abstain from eating meat, such as pork, beef, and chicken, on Fridays. (Fun fact, this actually is more of a USA thing that was meant to support Irish fisherman in Boston who had a surplus of fish but were suffering economically) Also, you’ll hear that people are giving up something or other.

 Many people give up a certain vice or bad habit, such as drinking soda, eating fast food, social media sites…etc. Others choose to practice in other ways such as more charity work or non-profit support, dedicated prayer, exercising more….etc.

This year, I’m approaching Lent with a unique mindset. In the past few months I’ve really been learning what it means to practice “Self-Care”. Sure, sometimes it’s coddling yourself, but really, it’s taking steps to improve your life in the long run and really take care of current you and future you based on the lessons that past you experienced. 

But how does “self-care” fit into Lent when it’s a period of abstinence and reflection?

Well, to put it as best as I can, Lent is about becoming a better person by putting yourself through trials you know are going to challenge yourself and make you uncomfortable. And real “self-care” is uncomfortable. I’m doing things that are challenging my anxiety and lifestyle up to this point. Really. 

Some of these include:

• Learning to say “No” and to gracefully back away
• Realize when I’m overwhelming myself and then re-prioritize. 
• Re-frame my financial goals and approach
• Identify the individual marks on the world I want to make and plan for them.
• Strategize my academic, career, and personal goals. 

Trust me, they’re more specific than these general statements, but publishing my personal budget tracker and pages in my journals and binders isn’t exactly my forte. I guess when Easter comes up I’ll reveal what individual things I accomplished and failed at during Lent.

What I can share is that I’m taking “fasting” more seriously this year. Fasting is more along the lines of “one substantial meal a day” and light snacking in between if necessary. With the consideration of ballet and hiking, I’m really going to try my best to stick with one substantial meal a day. I want to practice self-control and obedience. 

I’ve been finding myself consuming more food than my norm (well norm from the past year). Maybe it has to do with my increased activity or because I live in a popular food/restaurant area, maybe it’s my schedule and commuting….I’m really not sure, but I know that I can possibly pinpoint my trigger and work on taming it. 

Lent is an interesting time. Yes, there’s sorrow and subdued celebration, but there’s also self-discovery and challenges that lead to victories and new beginnings. Positive spin? yes. But I don’t think it’s a wrong way to look or approach it.

Do you practice Lent? If not, do you go through periods of abstinence or fasting?