A Firm Resolve for 40 Days

Marinduque mission trip...Sunday homily...quality time with the family...new online learnings. A few words (max of 140 words) isn't enough to capture all I want to share about my everyday adventures so I'm having a firm resolve. To write and be inspired by it. (here I go again with my...I will write more rant.)

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Tomorrow's Ash Wednesday, first day of Lent. I was thinking of what my fasting will be, to take it seriously and take it to the end. I was searching of what necessary everyday routine or pleasure to give up for 40 days. Sleep? I couldn't make it to 40 days...or maybe I could if I choose to...after 10 minutes of self-arguing and watching TV in between... Geez. Just writing this post made me discover that. See? Writing a.k.a. ranting (for me) can sometimes or always gives me clarity. I think I'm losing my point here. So back to fasting, I heard from a homily (way back) that fasting could either mean you take away something or you add up something to your everyday routine or schedule. It's either you give up meat or add attending mass to your everyday schedule. But we were exchanging insights and learnings about abstinence and fasting with my roomies a few minutes ago (yes, we discuss a lot of insightful theology stuff. Thanks to Ate May, we are learning a lot about our faith. Loving it!) and she said that in the olden times, fasting means NOT eating meat every Friday for one whole year or skipping a meal. But it has evolved into adding up instead of giving up. But I would want to do both. I know I haven't really been praying on what to fast but I hope to take this to end. When your fasting during the Lenten season, it should go with other 3 elements as well: prayer, almsgiving (not comfortable with this word...sounds too giving-one-time-then-am-good attitude) and scripture reading (from Ate May's notes which was expounded online). I too don't think it makes any sense that you fast without prayer.

Reading through here while blogging. Important points to remember below taken from the article:

Lent is a period of fasting which leads up to Easter. Lent recalls Jesus' 40-day fast in the wilderness, mentioned in the synoptic gospels. Catholic Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends right before the evening Masses of Holy Thursday, although Lenten penance continues through Holy Saturday.

The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, spiritual growth, conversion, and simplicity. Lent, which comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime, can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory and then cleaning out those things which hinder our corporate and personal relationships with Jesus Christ and our service to him.

Whatever you decide to fast from, remember, as Steven Clark likes to say: "Lent is more than a diet." Lent is about spiritual results, not material ones. So, while losing a few pounds may be a nice side benefit, all fasting should be done for God's glory and spiritual growth. 

Fasting VS Abstinence

Fasting: The Western Rite of the Catholic Church requires its members age 18 to 59 to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, unless a physical condition prevents otherwise. This means only one full meal is permitted in a fast day.

Abstinence: The Fridays of Lent are days of required abstinence, meaning meat, and soups or gravies made of meat, are not permitted. Abstinence is required of those age 14 and older.

Fasting should go with:

Prayer:
Lent is a good time to develop or strengthen a discipline of daily prayer. 

Almsgiving (Charity):
While Lent is about giving something up (i.e. fasting), it is also about putting something positive in its place. The best way to remove vice is to cultivate virtue.

Scripture Reading:
When facing temptation in the desert, Jesus relied on Scripture to counter the wiles of the devil. It is a formidable weapon for us as well.

Why Forty? The number forty, hallowed by the fasts of Moses, Elijah, and especially Jesus, probably influenced the later fixed time of 40 days.

So where does writing come in? Well, because I am resolving to wake up 6:30 AM everyday for the next 40 days (except for Sundays!), that means I'm giving up the pleasure of oversleeping. And I thought of adding in praying and scripture reading everyday but that doesn't count because both tasks (I didn't know til now) should go with the fasting already so I'm adding in writing everyday. But no rules like, it should be at least four paragraphs long, cause...okay now my brain's giving me a lot of ideas today. Not very helpful. Haha. Basta yun lang for now. Waking up early is too much of a sacrifice already. Though I'm not measuring Lord ha? You know me. But I think I would even go beyond that based on this first entry. 

My stirrings today lead me to fasting, then to this post. I like! Few hours ago, I made a resolve to find it in my heart to really write for the following reasons below:

1. My GK Ates aren't giving up their "hirits" of me writing. I don't really call myself a writer writer. But I know I can tell a story or two so I'm putting my writing muscles to work to help write stories for GK.

2. We had an exchange of thoughts during lunch time with Ate Tine and Ate Ja about not having enough of (written) stories on the ground to be shared both online and in our marketing materials. I've always believed that we have thousands (tucked in the hearts of our volunteers and partners but never recorded on paper) and it is in these stories where the magic and spirit of GK is best captured. So I shared that we have asked a number of volunteers and workers to do that especially those who are immersed on ground to write about their experiences or different inspiring activities but they shy away and are intimated by the term "writer". There already are a few starting to submit lately. We encourage them to write in the language they are most comfortable with and we do the revising and editing for them, just so they don't get all too conscious about writing (better to use "sharing" with them) which (always) results to letting go of the necessary and usually inspiring parts. So I made a resolve to write too and not be intimated about what a writer writer should be. 

3. For the people I love and who loves me, who wants to keep up with my everyday "trips" and encounters. I too want to inspire a couple of friends to write more so I get to be up to date of their everyday "trips" and encounters too. And my bestfriend Mishy is back to her 365 thing so I'm joining her for the first 40 days of that challenge.

4. Style bloggers. Food bloggers. Photography bloggers. Digital Marketing bloggers. Travel bloggers. Journalists/bloggers. Personal bloggers. Lifestyle bloggers. We have loads of those already. Individuals who blogs about inspiring stories and encounters with struggling families and individuals who wants to become and live better, not much. Individuals who write about stories of hope and transformation and sacrifice, they are slowly coming around. So I'm joining the latter. Hope you'll join me too. Calling (young) fellow individuals who love what they do and are passionate in changing the world one little step at a time. Join me. Join us! Bloggers Anna Oposa and Noreen Bautista are the best examples that I can find and you should head over and subscribe to their blogs to know what I'm talking about that. You will read a lot of other stuff her but I resolve to make this blog exude more HOPE and LOVE and sharing a cause that I share with the organization I am working in and team I am working with, ending poverty and help create an environment to inspire more individuals and groups to join us ending poverty and putting faith into action. God wouldn't want us to grow in faith as a country and yet a lot of people are still out in the streets and dangerous areas living difficult lives. As Anna Oposa said, " It’s so easy to say what we’re against, but what we’re FOR is far more powerful." So I'm all for hope and love and faith in action and first world Philippines for the next generation and utilizing digital technology for social change.

So it'd be 40 days of fasting, praying, scripture reading, giving, waking up at 6:30 AM and writing for me. I was thinking of asking a few people to join me in the next 40 days, so I'm tagging you Bestfriend Mishy, Purlalu, Kirstin, and YOU for fasting, praying, scripture reading, giving, giving up ________ and doing ________! :) 

Day 1 begins tomorrow. May the next 40 days be full of reflection, prayer, self-discovery, realizations and inspiration. We are created to glorify our Maker. May we be reminded of the reason of our existence and the implanted desire in our hearts to give back and reflect His glory, every single day.