As he placed ashes, the sign of repentance, on the foreheads of the faithful in San Fernando yesterday, Monsignor Christian Pereira described Ash Wednesday as the J'Ouvert of Lent. "It is the opening of Lent when our focus should be not on what happened yesterday or the day before but, on what is going to happen in the future, over the next few weeks as we prepare for the great feast of Easter." Monsignor Pereira told Roman Catholics, who filled the pews for midday mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, that as they prepared for Easter there were serious lessons of discipline, dedication and commitment they could learn from calypsonians, steelpan players, bandleaders and others involved in Carnival.
"If you think Carnival 2011 is over, Carnival 2012 is only now beginning. There are people who are sitting down right now preparing their calypsoes and designing their bands for 2012. "They take their work very seriously, preparing months in advance, but what are you Catholics, Christians doing to prepare for the risen Christ?" he asked. Urging the devout to become ambassadors for Christ, Pereira emphasised the importance of participating in the disciplines of prayer, fast and giving of alms. He compared the Lenten season to the Muslim celebration of Eid and the Hindu observance of Divali.
"The Muslims take their fasting seriously, from sunrise to sundown. They do not break their fast until they say their evening prayers. We can learn from them," he suggested. Similarly, he said, Hindu's fast, clean their homes and take their spiritual journey very seriously. "Are we, as true Catholics, devout Christians, prepared to take the disciplines of praying, fasting and giving of alms seriously? Are we prepared to do a little extra as we enter this pivotal celebration of our faith?" he asked. Monsignor Pereira encouraged the congregation to eat less, skip a meal and share it instead with the less fortunate.
He reminded the congregation that from time immemorial the Bible had advocated fasting, a discipline that was also encouraged by cosmetologists and doctors. However, he noted that fasting, which lent to beauty and health, was also good for the spiritual well being of a person.