Even if you are not a Christian or a Catholic, you can always use Lent as an excuse to know more about yourself and be one with the Universe. This is one of the best time for introspection. If you are a Muslim, you have your own time to do self-reflection: Ramadan.
What is Lent?
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According to Wikipedia:
Lent (Latin: Quadragesima: Fortieth) is a solemn religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later, 3 days before Easter Sunday. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, almsgiving, and self-denial.
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The Lenten season should not be confused with the Advent season. Lent is a time for reflection aside from self-denial or fasting and it is one of the perfect times to align yourself with a Higher Being (God).
If we compare this practice to other religions, we can say it is like the Muslim Ramadan where people fast for a month. Both are different but they have similarities because on both occasions people usually do fasting. After Ramadan, there is the celebration of Eid al-Fitr or Eid Celebration. The Lenten Season also includes Palm Sunday and the Holy Week which ends in the celebration of Easter Sunday.
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In any of these occasions, one must not shun the call to self-realization every once in a while. One must not run away from what must be done: reflection or repentance. If one keeps stalling on the things that one should be thinking of then one’s life can become meaningless and empty.
The Lenten season is also one of the best times to give alms and share our blessings, aside from praying and fasting. While many Christians fast, the eating mostly of fish also happens during this time because meat is not allowed to be consumed during fasting. This is so people can focus more on one's spirit rather than their flesh, as meat represents the worldly things we enjoy.
According to St. Thomas Aquinas,
In the institution of fasting, the Church takes account of the more common occurrences. Now, generally speaking, eating flesh meat affords more pleasure than eating fish, although this is not always the case. Hence the Church forbade those who fast to eat flesh meat, rather than to eat fish.
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What To Reflect on During Lent
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It does take one to know one. It takes yourself to realize the wrongs you’ve been doing. There should be a time set aside for us to come to a realization that there are things that we’ve been doing wrong. And for whatever reasons we did them we shouldn't justify it as the right thing to do.
Self-reflection can also happen not only during this time but anytime, especially when you see someone doing what you did or are in a way mirroring you. Lent consists of six weeks, ample time to think about your soul and your sins or past behavior. If you can't go somewhere for a quick getaway, you can go to church or the adoration chapels for quiet time.
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There is always a choice. One always has a choice in where one wants to go. It is always your decisions in life that leads you to where you will be. If you are afraid to make decisions then you just go around in circles and keep getting sucked into everyone else’s dreams and goals because you have none of your own! What good is your life then if that is the case? What should you be doing then?
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It is better to gain perspective once you step back and see your life from a different view. Look at your life from an outsider’s view. What do you see? How do you think you could solve personal issues? The key here is to leave everything behind and go somewhere you can be on your own. Get the peace of mind. Cry and feel the pain. Let yourself go. Do not bring much with you. Do not worry. On your journey of self-discovery there will be people who will help you along the way. Do not be discouraged. Do not fear. If you ask guidance and peace it will be given to you. If you ask for protection and make yourself inconspicuous then I don’t think you’d need to worry about the bad things. Safeguard yourself the best you can and leave the rest of your journey to God.
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My Lenten Advice
There is nothing wrong with just getting up to leave or discarding old things, places or habits. Most people are afraid to do this. We worry what will we do, what will happen to us, but if we have an open mind and accept God’s grace (or the Higher Being’s blessings) then there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Everything will be provided if we go about looking for them or by simply taking action to have what is needed.
We are also held back by excess baggage – of the material things we are used to and of the comforts of life. However, it is not always good to hold on to things that are not meant to be with us. People or material things do not come with us when we die or leave this earth. What we leave with other people is more important than what material things we have accumulated in life.
Aside from discarding our belongings and doing donations, fasting can be a means of leaving behind any excess, we have in life, it is a form of sacrifice.
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We all strive for what the “rich” people have. We are all envious of someone else’s achievements and investments. We all want material things that give us temporary happiness. But what then when we get those material things after working so hard for them? Will it make us happy?
We can only gain happiness from it if we share it with others and if we enjoy it with other people and laugh with them and have fun while using it. Other than that it may just be a source of mild entertainment which we will then tire of, thus making us seek other forms of material enjoyment. It is a vicious cycle. A never-ending cycle of materialism. Thus the Lenten season can be used to share one's blessings instead. It can be in the form of volunteer service if we lack the finances. Or it can be as simple as helping anyone who needs help.
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It is not bad if we share material things with other people and make each other happy but if we just craved for it because we’ve been deprived of it and we wanted some kind of vindication or vengeance, once we get what we want, we will still not be satisfied. We will find it acquisitions empty and devoid of the satisfaction we were craving for and we would wonder why then did we strive so hard to get it when it offers us nothing in the end? Emptiness sets in. Unhappiness spreads.
What then should one do? Only you can answer that. Reflection is important. Peace of mind and listening to what is going on in your head is also important. Get it out of your system. There is a reason why you can’t sleep at night. There is a reason why you don’t want to think about a lot of things. There is fear of the unknown as always. But there is also acceptance. If you must learn something, it must be acceptance of yourself first, of your weaknesses and your flaws. From there you will learn more and realize more. From there you will learn how you are as a person and how you treat other people as well. Self-discovery is the key to enlightenment. Self-discovery can be the key to happiness and can lift our souls from the dark depths it has sunk into.
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And so I do hope during this Season of Lent, we can afford to give in to the luxury of religious introspection. We should choose to listen to our inner selves and treat it with the respect it deserves. After all it is not only you who are living on this earth. You must let yourself experience oneness with nature. You must go into the reflection on what you are doing in your life, not what other people have done to you. Healing does not happen in a blink of an eye. It is up to you how you would live your life. It is up to you how you can enrich it. It is up to you how you can help other people and leave behind a legacy of love and peace rather than the discomfort of pain and hate.
On a lighter note, as part of our fasting and reflection, we can enjoy eating lots of fish! This is also the best season to eat more fish! :) As mentioned above, if you fast, you don't eat meat, eggs or dairy so have fun eating fish!
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With this, I hope you will have an amazing Lenten season. :)
© Art x Stephanie Rue
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