No matter where you are in the world, no matter what religion you were raised, and no matter who raised you, I am sure that you have heard about Lent. But, what is it?
It’s a Christian Holiday that begins 40 days before the Easter celebration. Just like Easter changes every year, so does Lent. It’s all in accordance to the moon — the lunar calendar has a lot more of an affect on you than just who you’re compatible with!
The story is that Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert after his baptism by St. John the Baptist. Those 40 days and nights, the Devil came and kept trying to tempt him. So, for Lent, we take 40 days to give up our own temptations. Lent is kicked off by another Christian Holiday called Ash Wednesday. When Catholics go up to receive their ashes on that day, they are told that from dust we came from and when we die we return to dust. This is a reminder to sit down and be humble, essentially putting us in our place. With nothing more than dust on our minds for the next 40 days, we are humbled as we fight off our own temptations from the Devil.
The cool thing about Lent is that many people, Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and non-believers alike, typically give something up. Then, on Easter Sunday, they get to indulge in that something. For some, it’s chocolate. For others, sex. It’s all about going through our own trials in order to appreciate that thing even more — just like Jesus had to go through his trials for our sins. At the end of the 40 days, we get to celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven AND get to indulge into the temptations that we gave up.
But what about taking something up for Lent? Being raised Catholic, I have given up my fair share of things from each year to the next, but it’s never seemed to stick for me.
I decided to take something up for Lent because I could just keep going through the ropes of giving up chocolate for a month and a half and then over-indulging on Easter Sunday, or I could do something worthwhile. Don’t get me wrong, even after years of private, Catholic schooling and being a practicing Catholic, I’m still not super religious. I have my struggles, just like you do. However, I felt that this year I should actually be honest and actually do something that would benefit me in some way.
I felt like I had given everything up that I should — I don’t drink soda, I can’t give up coffee or else I will sleep through my entire day, and I don’t really eat that much chocolate to begin with. So, I did some research about how long it takes to make a habit (21 days, in case you were wondering), and gave myself a little addition to my New Year’s Resolution… a wagon that I have already fallen off of. So, for this year, I have decided on something else — to take up working out for Lent. That’s 40 days of positivity, of pushing myself, and of realizing my worth. Just like we all get to celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven, I will be celebrating my ascension into hotness.
Sources: https://media.giphy.com/media/3ohs82OzmfQPeZYPy8/giphy.gif