Easter

Well, well, well… it’s April 22, 2011 and I just posted the first blog post on my site in 17 days.

Anyways, today is Good Friday, and I didn’t give anything up for Lent, except blogging (cue comedic drums). I know someone out there is judging me for not sacrificing in honor of Jesus, and perhaps they’re correct. Who am I to assume that any of the sacrifice I’ve made over the past couple years constitutes a break from sacrificing? No, not really… I don’t believe that.

I didn’t give anything up for Lent this year because, well, I don’t know why exactly. I feel as though I should feel bad about it, but I also feel good (not in a Satanic way) about it. The reason I feel good about it is because I believe we all need to truly experience being selfish a bit to understand why it isn’t exactly a great thing. I wear my cross every single day to serve as a reminder that I’m just a man and that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. If my act of not giving anything up for Lent calls for me to be judged at the gates as a strike towards my damnation… then I can only hope to make up for it with whatever amount of life God has left for me.

I don’t believe it will lead to my being damned though. I’m sure I’m not the first, and I’m sure many have cheated during Lent. I know for a fact that some choose to limit their withdrawal to certain times of days and certain days of weeks. But I also know that there are other ways to sacrifice all year around, and should equate to honoring Jesus.

I don’t view Lent as a time to honor Jesus, just as I don’t view Church as a time to pray and cleanse and preach. To me, it’s never right to be selfish; we should strive to be selfless always. We’re human though, so we cannot be expected to perform like this at all times. That’s why I believe Jesus is more a representative than a catalyst. I don’t believe we’re expected to be like Jesus, but that we’re expected to strive to be like Jesus. We aren’t a perfect species; we can’t have perfection expected of us. But I feel that as long as we’re genuinely trying, we’re in good books. I’d rather practice selflessness 365¼ days of the year than for 3 weeks and spend the other 49 weeks acting like a complete savage.

I’m not suggesting I’m right and that anyone else is wrong, nor am I suggesting that I know any better than anyone. But I ask you to consider – is it fair of us to choose only to be selfless for 3 weeks out of every year? I’d much rather go day by day in this practice.

Anyways, I’m sure I was going to make a point but I got sidetracked, so on that note I’d like to get sidetracked again and ask you all… is it my duty in support of Christ to give money to the homeless? I know any of these people could be Christ in disguise, but by the same token, any of them could be Lucifer in disguise. If I give them change in hopes I’m doing right by Christ and they go buy 7 gram rocks of crack cocaine… did I achieve anything? Shouldn’t I do as Christ did to prevent people from succumbing to the evils?

Anyways, Happy Easter everyone! Especially you, Jews!