I still write “Roman Catholic” whenever I’m asked to fill out a field named “Religion” in a form, but I’m not exactly a Church-going Roman Catholic. I didn’t attend Ash Wednesday rites last week, and I had pork chops for lunch today. Well, so much for Lent.
Lent gives way to some rather… fishy, takes to meals. A couple of years ago, my brother’s birthday fell on Good Friday: he altered the usual family recipe for spaghetti Bolognese and used canned salmon instead of ground beef. In last year’s Panagbenga Festival, I had the rare opportunity to have Lent-friendly shawarma, which was made out of vegemeat and tuna.
I know all about the sacrifice Jesus made to save humankind from sin, but I’m not a fish eater: I’m allergic to many kinds of fish. Catholic practice is no longer as strict as it was before, but I still fall into that 18-59 age group who should, in the practice of their faith, observe abstinence. Besides, nobody is allergic to tofu.
I think that God would forgive me for being quite recalcitrant about fasting and abstinence. Sometimes, I think that many Christians have problems with their faith because they shed their horns and grow their halos come the Lenten season.
Trackbacks