Holy Thursday: Just a Little Bit

When I began this series of posts each week, I didn't intend on actually preaching about religion in any fashion. This series is mainly to be about beer, and solely titled as such to poke fun about the fact that I'm one of the more terrible Catholics that you'll ever come across. I bend the rules quite a bit when it comes to religion. Rarely attend mass out of stubbornness.

 Still, every year I seem to go on a mini-rant at the start of Lent which began yesterday. When this occurs each year, there's always a debate on social media - the people that give something up for the 40-day period, get the ashes on their foreheads and fast on Fridays along with the people making posts about how they don't understand why people partake in such a thing, post about how their respective God still loves them if they eat meat on Fridays etc. Many of these to keyboard holy wars and it's upsetting.

To all of that, I say that I forgo eating meat on Fridays during Lent for the sake of the symbolism of the entire thing. When I thought about it yesterday I realized that I do a ton of symbolic things in my everyday life. Especially ticks and mannerisms that pay homage to important people in my life or even as far as favorite movie characters. Some genetic and some on purpose. Ever hear me randomly sniffle twice? That's my grandmother. My laugh that sounds like a hyena? My uncle David. In essence, I don't feel any more holy or glorified because I gave up something for Lent or chose to not eat meat on a Friday. I just do it as a double-check. A reminder that I control what I put in my system. The beautiful thing about? There isn't some universal law that states who is right or who is wrong. Why do you care what anyone else does?

Now that I've completed my annual complaint, on to other business. I've never actually given up anything for the full 40 days of Lent. I've pondered actually doing it this year. To reinforce my thought process from up above, if you don't go get the ashes I'm fairly sure it technically doesn't count in the Catholic church that you're giving something up. See how I make my own rules? It really doesn't matter to me.

Someone said to think about giving up beer. I laughed. I had a slight idea to give up coffee, but that went out the door as fast as I did when I realized I couldn't put said pants on correctly. I completely forgot a belt. I'm not totally sure. Technically, I'm supposed to have decided already, but I'm sure I'll be alright if it's all a day late.