February 14 might be the most depressing day for the singles and divorced. While everyone seems to be celebrating romantic love, the rest of us are also thanking we are not fighting for reservations at overpriced restaurants.
Instead, I celebrate the feast day of St. Cyril and St. Methodius. The two brothers are 9th century AD saints from the Byzantine Empire who traveled north to evangelize to the Slavonic peoples (modern day Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Russia). Long story short, they devised the Cyrillic alphabet that part of the world uses. Obviously, there is more to the story but for the sake of this blog, I'll give the truncated version.
You could say that Cyril and Methodius were the great-grandfathers of the movement to translate the Bible into every language so that people may hear (and read) the Gospel in their heart language. They predate Wycliffe and Tyndale by several centuries but it is not a stretch to say that Cyril and Methodius were pioneers. For that, the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox so honor them. Protestant Evangelicals don't usually have feast days but I'm the exception and only for these two men.
By some quirk, February 14 is also Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent - the 40 days before Easter. Traditionally people might fast on certain days and give up certain foods like red meat, chocolate, or coffee. Why those three? Those might have been considered luxury items in the past and thus to forgo them is a sign of sacrifice.
For those whom food is NOT an idol, or they have dietary needs such that they cannot safely fast, my church has suggested forgoing social media and streaming platforms. In other words, 40 days of no Tiktok, Facebook, IG, Twitter / X, Threads, YouTube, Prime, Netflix, and every other platform I did not name. Those are much more addicting than chocolate.
It's not just forgoing food or social media. Lent invites the Christian to examine themselves and give up bad habits and pick up good ones. For me, dealing with a temper has been a recurring issue. I am invited to consider the roots of anger and temper and follow the way of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt Jesus got angry but He did not sin. Therefore, how can I be angry but not sin?
I can go on about other vices both in me and in others.
The end result is that the time and money saved can be devoted to more godly and productive purposes. Forgoing 3 cups of coffee from Starbucks might result in an extra 30 dollars which can be donated as charitable offering. Yes, $30 is not a hyperbole considering how expensive a Starbucks coffee can be. Dealing with anger and learning patience makes you a nicer person to be around.
Observing Lent is not about self-improvement. It is to make space for God to work in you. Just like He did for Cyril and Methodius.
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