‘Tis the most wonderful time of the year

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday this week on 17^th, running for 40 days till Easter. It’s my favourite time of the year.

It doesn’t carry the hype of Christmas festivities, it’s mellow and reflective. Actually, it’s rather unpopular; but for me, Lent is a release. Like standing on a mountain in the early morning and screaming my lungs out while newborn sunlight nourishes me, so are those forty glorious days.

Traditionally people fast from food during Lent. However, as a millennial, there are more precious things to me than food – Netflix, telenovelas, my phone, news websites – so I usually choose to fast from one of these things. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I won’t be doing any Lent fasting this year, for personal reasons).

So much more than the fast, Lent is a reflection on our mortality. We have the tendency to carry ourselves and make plans of what we want our tomorrow to be with so much arrogance. In our own little worlds, we pursue success and acclaim as if standing ovations last forever. We are not indestructible. We die. That is the theme of Ash Wednesday: ashes to ashes; dust to dust.

It doesn’t end there, though.

It is one thing to die without a hope. Life would be useless and all existence meaningless. We might as well destroy the earth and all its inhabitants now. It won’t make any difference. Our existence is void.

However, it’s another thing to fall asleep with hope. At this wonderful time of the year, I sit and remember the hope of Easter and what it all means. I remember God himself came down to earth, in the person of Jesus Christ, and gave himself up to break the curse of death, giving me hope beyond the grave.

At Lent, I remember to number my days on earth; but I also recall that when I sleep, I shall awake to life in and with God. And this is so worth living for.