Ash Wednesday.

Today (22 Feb 2012) is Ash Wednesday. It marks the start of the Lent season in Catholic calendar. 40 days before Good Friday.

The Lenten season is rather like the Muslim's Ramadan. We're supposed to pray more, give more alms, and fast (or abstain). To reflect and think about God's unconditional love for us, how Jesus died for our sins, and to try and be more selfless, and think of others' before ourselves.

I wonder though, why is it that we don't do the above the whole year round, but specifically single out this season. I guess it's kinda hard to force this down everyone's throat the entire year, but during the Ash Wednesday mass just now, my parish priest also mentioned how we'll be doing this as a church community, so there is that sense of solidarity, I guess.


But the thing is, Catholics aren't so strict, at least not in my church, or my family. We never do proper fasting, in fact I don't even know what exactly is proper fasting (only eat before sunrise and after sunset, like the Muslims? We're, thankfully, still allowed to drink). Today though, I tried to just have breakfast (ahha Jungle Breakfast at the Zoo cos I was having camp xP) and skip lunch and dinner. Which works out pretty well, I can feel the hunger. And my parents were evil, tried to tempt Jon and I by eating right in front of us at dinner! Though they just had salad and plain bread.


So I'm thinking, perhaps during the entire season of Lent, I shall try to go vegetarian. Not even pescetarian. Been going vegetarian 3 times a week since Chinese New Year, and so far I've been more or less sticking to it, sometimes going pescetarian instead of vegetarian. But anyways, this season of Lent will be a challenge. And to pray more, and often, and for others.