Hollyer Than Thou

Hi and welcome to ASH WEDNESDAY!

Today, millions of Catholics around the world (and some sympathizers such as myself), were really hungry all day. Lots of them had little ash crosses on their foreheads.

Though I am not Catholic, or even baptized, I observe the Catholic fasting days of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. I think fasting is good for the mind: it resets your cravings, and you realize how much your day revolves around physical sustenance. I had 2.5 more hours today than I usually do, and I used that time really productively. 

The hardest part of fasting isn’t really the not eating. Humans are designed to go a day or two without food before things go haywire. While it’s hard to be around people who are enjoying a nice meal, self control for one day isn’t that bad. 

But try not eating for a day without complaining about it. It’s a metaphor for Lent, the forty-day period when Catholics try to rid themselves of bad habits and add positive changes to their lives. Lots of middle-schoolers will give up chocolate, for example. And they will complain about not having chocolate every day they don’t have any.

As a priest once explained to me, each person fasting has chosen to do so out of their free will, so there’s no reason for them to whine about it all day long. Fasting is not an excuse for anything, except for perhaps a lack of focus as the day draws to a close. 

Today I made a conscious attempt to not mention that I’m fasting, though I let myself slip three times. The point of fasting is for my benefit, ultimately, and letting it get in the way of my interactions with others completely against the point.