DURING LENT TODAY

In these later days of Lenten season where technology is so far at its highest peak, the old traditions and culture of the past are overshadowed by the biggest part of our time in social media, latest gadgets and modern life.  These are the great challenges in our religion in showing our faith if we’re still holding-on in our grown-up belief.  Undoubtedly, modern days have somehow changed Lent.  But we can turn things good out of our hands.  If fasting is one of the core essences of the season, we can use then this modern day to test ourselves how strong our faith is.  There is modern way to do our modern fasting, we can show our faith to join the nation in the holy observation of the Lenten season.

As an active and busy netizen in various social networks, abstaining to it for a day in Good Friday is a tough thing to do but you can do it if you are compromised to your words and self.  I’ve been doing this for quite long year now but to give myself challenge, I would like to prolong it by abstaining to my social media for five days.  I vow myself not to post anything, view anyone’s profile, blog my thoughts, watch videos, listening to music, chat friends, tweet my feelings and search in the internet.  Except to check the messages for the important and emergencies that I need to attend and address, but to check and update my status is definitely and absolutely a resounding no.

In joining with me, there are more than these that we can do.  When we are giving to the impoverished and the deprived especially during this day that we are trying to be morally good, extending our hand is so sweet that we will feel the presence of God in our heart.  It is just small riyals but the moment I humbly handed over it to the needy man, without intention of showing it to others I feel so good because I know deep in myself that I did it without drama.  It was so uplifting to the spirit, moral and faith.  It was a very small amount but when you did it with full of your heart, the fact of knowing you helped someone in your most humble and little way is tantamount to the six digits aid of affluent and notable persons.

For five days, along with my social media withdrawal is my attempt to behave with humility.  In our everyday life, I am not exemption from the judgmental people.  In some occasional circumstances I speak harsh, ridicule and judgment about the obvious offensive character of the people I see.  I decided to ignore these in respect to the holiness of the season.  I even chose to refute happiness and indulgence as living the humility.  And ultimately, I went along with the oldest traditional way of fasting by refraining meat from lambs for five days.  Although during the initial day I unconsciously had a very few processed meat that was included in the recipe’ but all in all, I generally consumed non-meat consumption.

Fasting like turning your back from habituated doing, fun and frolic, showing of benevolence, and refrain from lambs is possible when you set a goal and it will prove that we can do them if we really want.  While the fact I am currently out of country yet I’m still doing these as in I’m in my own hometown, but I feel it is not in the place and instead it is in yourself because wherever you may be you will always have your heart anywhere you go.  It’s ubiquitous, you can be everywhere at the same time because the truth is, the place is in your heart.  For me, it is not about trying to be so conventional and dogmatic, it is not being spoiler amidst of our modern day but when I did these, there is something in my heart that I felt pleasant and free.  It is uplifting my spirit, moral and confidence.  It feels good to be kind, to feel in your heart your kindness and I wish I could do these not just in the observation of Lenten season but throughout the year.

By Alex V. Villamayor

April 4, 2015