Lent right.

I asked Joshua (my gate man. Man from Lango) if he knows whether we are in Lent. I didn’t bother calling him for mass on Wednesday because he was still asleep.

We’ve started transplanting the flowers from the nursery bed and so amongst the things we’ve talked about is the lent season.

Me: Joshua you know we are in Lent?

J: what?

Me: we are in Lent. You know Lent?

J: I don’t know that one

Me: you know where you go to church and the priest gets ash and they (I made the sign of the cross on my forehead).

J: oooooh fasting

Me: yes. You know we are fasting?

J: me I don’t fast. When the meal is there, I EAT.

Me containing my laughter: 🤭 No Joshua you should fast. It is for a short time

J: Noo noo

Me telling lies: but you see in the house for us in the house, we are not eating.

J: ahhh

Me: yes

J: me no. And where there is meat? I cannot miss meat

Me: we are not going to buy meat again until Easter

J: 😲 Auntieeeeeeeeee

Me: yesss

I had a small laugh while pulling his leg because I noticed that what mattered to him the most when it comes to lent is Food. It’s also from this point that I’d like to dig deeper into our Catholic norms of fasting for those who have been dragging us saying things like “Catholics only fast pork”.

Btw, I thought about fasting it (the pork) and I wouldn’t be castigated if I did because we are at free will to cultivate self-control especially with the things we find it difficult to say NO to.

Before I go any further, let’s first talk about the pork and meat-issue that we are dragged for. During Lent, Catholics are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday (not all Wednesdays) and all Fridays of the Lent season. This Abstinence applies to “flesh meat,” which includes mammals and fowl (beef, pork, chicken, turkey) but we are at free will to eat Fish and other cold-blooded animals (like reptiles and amphibians).

Why? You may ask.

Catholics abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays during Lent as a form of penance and sacrifice to honor the day of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. By giving up “flesh meat,” we seek to unite our own small sacrifices with the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made when he gave up His flesh on Good Friday.

I hope we’ve understood that part. Now let’s explore the 3 pillars of Lent in the Catholic Church:

1. Prayer: Focuses on our relationship with God. It involves making more time for conversation with Him through the Liturgy of the Hours, reading Scripture, or attending daily Mass.

2. Fasting: Focuses on our relationship with ourselves. It is the practice of restraint and self-discipline; denying our physical appetites to strengthen our spiritual will and “hunger” for God.

3. Almsgiving: Focuses on our relationship with others. It is an act of charity where we give our time, money, or resources to those in need, practicing the Corporal Works of Mercy.

***

So maybe the real question this Lent is not whether it is pork or beef. The question is this. What is your meat? What is that one thing you struggle to say no to? Start there.

Below a screenshot of Lenten resolutions (you can choose from) that I took from True Faith TV’s YouTube livestream.

I wish you a fruitful Lenten season.

#lent

Written by

Nabuguzi. Kiwanuka

Lawyer. Founder, Director, CEO at Equate Foundation. Podcaster - Hash Time with Nabuguzi Kiwanuka. Drawer. Dance lover. Music lover. Risk-taker. Daily learner.

Follow

Did this story move you? Every gift goes directly to Nabuguzi. Kiwanuka — writers on Muwado earn from reader appreciation, not algorithms. Even $1 makes a difference.

Gift Once Gift Monthly