Goa, my state in India, was once upon a time a colony of the portuguese rule. From the catholic faith to the architecture everything had been imbibed in our culture despite the state being geographically located in India, we goans have a distinct culture from the portuguese. One such event is the carnival, etymology from many languages said to mean carne laevare… or farewell to meat. The event extends from fat saturday ( sabado gordo) to shrove tuesday with parades, floats, dances, musical events across my tiny state, almost similar but on a smaller scale as compared to the carnival in Rio, Brazil.
This weekend would make everyone realise that lent is round the corner and we need to party till Ash Wednesday. From which lenten season begins in the catholic church until easter. There are no weddings or celebratory events in Goa on a grande scale as everyone knows its lent .. season of penance or koresm in my native language. While everyone prepares physically to abstain from meats which are an integral part of the goan catholic meal prep, some chose fridays as day of abstinence, some forgo alcohol while some like me give up junk food.
It is extremely hard to suddenly stop a regular routine and try to abstain or fast. But as a child my parents ensure we knew the purpose behind lent was not to make drastic life changes, lose weight or even detox our system for healthy reasons but to put forth the effort made as a sacrifice to the Lord.
Todays gospel ends with Jesus telling his disciples that it is all prayer. Often we hear and read that lent includes alms giving, fasting and prayers… while we fast for the additional health benefits and give alms to click pictures and upload on instagram to garner “ likes and comments” the most important aspect of prayer is overlooked.
In todays world when we are so busy with work and our netflix streaming, we barely get time to remember Jesus. I am guilty of this too! So, this Lent my focus is to improve the quality of my prayer life and work on my relationship with Jesus.
The easiest ways to accomplish the same is by daily rosary or reflecting on the scripture. Both of these are simple and yet effective ways of praying. Lets say the rosary while we travel to work or drive or even if possible before or after mass. We could download the Bible app and keep a reminder to read one page per day!!
I was once asked by an aethist non catholic friend as to why is my love for God only shown during lent. I smiled and said… it is all about the prayer!!!!
Prayer: Help us oh Lord to live this lent with faith and diligence. Help us to work on our issues and bring forth our sinful selves to your feet. Amen
