The next few weeks are very important in the Catholic faith. We're celebrating Jesus' last days on earth before he sacrificed himself to us. This time of the year is the most valuable for Catholics.
Over the last few years, I've become a non-practicing Catholic. More of if I need my faith I know it will always be there for me. Each year though, I become more reflecting on what it means to be Catholic and celebrating the Easter season.
As someone who doesn't regularly go to church, I still carve out time in my day to go to an Ash Wednesday service. It's important to my family and to me as well. I grew up going to church every year on this day, and to not go when I'm living on my own seems wrong.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and the Easter season. To be able to celebrate and go around showing that I am proud of the faith that I grew up on is something that I value.
I went to Catholic school right up to senior year of high school. I was surrounded each day by my religion and what it meant to be Catholic. After a while, I began questioning everything I was being taught about my faith.
As I got older, some things that were being taught to me didn't make sense. I didn't understand why I was told I had to believe in something that contradicted other things I was believing in my everyday life. I started to tolerate my faith more than believe in it, as it was taught to me every single day.
As I have gone about my life since leaving high school, I have used my Catholic faith as more of something to fall back on if I ever need it. I don't regularly go to church or pray, but if I needed the knowledge of their being someone up there or that miracles can happen I would have something that I could believe in.
Ash Wednesday just marks a day where I can acknowledge the faith I was brought up on. It's the one day during the year where I can reflect. I know that when I go to the service, I will be surrounded by others like me. It brings me comfort.
