The Lenten Season

Many people, myself included, always thought of Lent as a killjoy. As a kid in high school, I had always viewed it as a time of restraint, self-denial, and even downright punishment.

Killjoy as a Kid

My parents were always the traditional type, spending Holy Week at home instead of the beach or in other countries. As a family, we would fast and abstain from meat on the required days, and at one time, expanded it to the whole season.

Towards the end of Lent, everyone would pile in to the family car to visit seven churches as part of the traditional Visita Iglesia.

As I got older, I began to question a lot of things about this tradition. I wondered why we had to practice abstinence, fasting, and end up being miserable when my friends were enjoying themselves during this period.

During these years of doubt, I did not take fasting and abstaining too seriously. I would sometimes purposely eat pork chops, lechon, or steak during Fridays as they were the cheapest during these days. I’d schedule picnics with friends, making sure we had beer, girls, and a list of games with us.

But for some funny reason, I never really enjoyed myself at these activities. A friend of mine suggested that I didn’t having fun because of a deep-seated guilt due to my upbringing. And as we went through his analysis, he seemed to make sense at the time. But years later, I realize that guilt wasn’t it.

Little did I know that this act of contemplating would actually bring me a step closer of what Lent really was about.

Despite my internal and external search, the answer never came easily. But twenty years down the road, I began to realize that I never really had fun because that wasn’t what my mind and body was looking for. In hindsight, what I really wanted and needed was psychological, emotional, and biological rest.

I needed to relax from the hustle and bustle of all the parties I had. I needed a respite from the artery-clogging food I ate. And I need to recharge from the vast amounts of alcohol I consumed regularly. Basically, I needed to rest from my chaotically fast-paced life.

Fun as a Grownup

It’s tough to say when the change occurred. I’d like to believe that it just happened one day after waking up. But that simply was not the case. I guess I slowly matured and with that maturity, longed to go back to the traditions my parents practiced. It was only after revisiting these traditions with a new outlook that I began to appreciate the things I grew up with.

Today, I find that Lent provides several practical applications for me.

In my desire to lose unwanted pounds, the season has made it less of a torture for me. Since everybody around me is fasting, I have the feeling that I am not alone in my quest. This collective action turns to be so very supportive that I am able to resist the temptation to gorge.

For abstinence, I have found the perfect time to lessen the amount of bad cholesterol in my system. I stop eating fatty foods altogether and skip alcohol. I eat sea food and a lot of fruits and vegetables to cleanse my system. As a result, I started to feel physically better just two weeks in to Lent.

Abstaining from meat also has made me value food a lot more. If you have ever had the feeling of talking a long trip then coming home, it is similar. For long trips, I notice that I appreciate that little piece of chicken or pork chop even more. Whereas in the past, I would just chomp and swallow, I not am able to savor my meal.

Another positive outcome from all of this is that I am able to save some much needed cash, making my wallet slightly fatter at the end of each week.

On a psychological level, my skipping partying has given way to moments devoted to contemplating about life and my place in this earth. And though I still find it impossible to see my place in the overall picture, I see that every little thing I do for my family and friends does go a long way.

And due to all this contemplation, I feel I have achieved some form of inner peace. All of a sudden life isn’t as tough as it used to be. Yes, life is still hard and I still need to make a living for my family. But I now realize that I should not worry about the things I cannot change. Instead, I try to focus on the things I can change.

But perhaps the one thing I now enjoy about the Lenten season, it that this tradition brings me back to my childhood. It connects me to all the good things I remember as a kid. Memories of old times with my siblings, cousins, parents, and even my grandparents all come flooding back whenever I am in deep thought. I can’t help but smile when I think of them in the old days.

Now that I am older, I don’t view Lent as a letdown anymore. Instead of a time of suffering, I now view it as a time to cleanse one self, inside and out. I take the opportunity to use the time to contemplate and try to appreciate all the blessings, big or small, that I have received in life.

I know I still have a long way to go as far as Lent is concerned, but I’d like to think that the baby steps I have taken so far have brought me closer to its true meaning.