Editor’s Note

Mar 11, 2022

By Patricia Pereira
As we enter into the second week of Lent, I still get the question, ‘What have you given up for Lent?’ It’s an annual question to which I’m still unable to give a proper answer. A friend of mine makes it a point to eat tomatoes for Lent, simply because she hates tomatoes. Another person who dislikes sea food says that he will make an attempt to consume more of this in place of his favourite meat dishes.

For many, the season of Lent is marked with personal sacrifice – while some will undertake to eat or do a task they dislike, for others it will be a time for giving up excess in the form of food, drink or activities that detract us from the process of self-reflection. The idea is to give up something that is difficult to let go of, even if it makes us cranky or uncomfortable.

For anyone who has tried to give up sugar or caffeine or tobacco, there is literally a chemical adjustment in our bodies when we give up something we have become dependent on. But often, once we get through the "detox" stage, we find we feel better, sleep better and are more focused.

Or, Lenten sacrifice could be something we ingest mentally instead of physically. Many of us would find it a challenge to go 40 days without watching TV or being on social media. Or how about 40 days without eating out, using our credit cards or spending the evening lazing on the couch? When each family member chooses to give up something, families can find closeness in “sweating it” out together.

Once we’ve lived without them, we realise, sometimes embarrassedly, how much time our habits really consume. Our sacrifices free us for activities we may have previously complained we didn’t have enough time for. During the MCO when we were all under lockdown and working from home, people began to appreciate the time they had for themselves and with their families. But once the lockdown was lifted and we were back to office, our ‘old habits’ crept back in and we once again found ourselves living a hectic lifestyle.

Lent — the word originates from a Teutonic word for springtime — can also be a time of spring cleaning, of dusting out the cobwebs in the brain that cloud our perspective and keep us from seeing things as they are. The season gives us permission to keep our lives simple and uncluttered. When our minds grow quiet, we are able to feel what's in our hearts more intensely. We are able hear others more clearly. We are able to see the beauty around us more vividly.

Along with giving up something for Lent, consider adding something to your Lenten promise. How about allowing yourself to “live in the moment?” Try putting your phone (the modern curse) down for a while each day, looking into the eyes of the person with whom you are talking.

Enjoy nature. Watch the clouds as they pass by, noticing how they break apart to form shapes. Notice the smell of a storm moving through, and the change in the temperature right before it hits. Listen to the birds singing and the sounds of the wind rustling through the trees.

A wise fictional character, Ferris Bueller, famously said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Most of all, Lent reminds us that life is short. What will we make of it? What will we give up during these next few weeks and what new things will we choose to keep with us once the redemption of Easter is past?