Ill church

A socio-religous connundrum: When you're feeling ill, should you still be compelled to go to Sunday mass? Both Katie and I woke up with sore throats feeling generally icky. Church is such a socially interactive place where you shake hands, touch objects, etc. that it becomes a breeding ground to pass along germs and sickness.

While channel surfing, I ran into a braodcast of Sunday mass (not sure where from). It's one of those little things you cannot explain. It's one of those times in your life where you don't get what you want, but somehow get what youu need. So, I continue to watch and feel I am in some way fulfilling my obligation...

I have seen caffeine...

...and it is good. It's odd, I don't feel nearly as buzzed as I expected to be. My mind quickly came out of the fog that is morning, but I expected a much stronger reaction after 40 days of detox. Hmmm.

Lent is over, happy Good Friday

OK, so I have a theological debate on my hands here. Lent officially ended last night upon celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. We then launch into the shortest of liturgical seasons - The Triduum (Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday). This begs the question - when can I have caffeine again...?

I've done my due diligence and it seems there are several ways to look at this:
1)Lent ended last night, so I am free of my obligation to give up caffeine
2)Today is Good Friday, a day of abstinence and fasting, so it would not be exactly in order to delve right back into my sacrifice on a day that should be directed towards suffering with Jesus

Oh, the Catholic torment I go through. This forum has interesting banter about just such topic:
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=216582

I received my basis for the end of Lent from here:
http://www.americancatholic.org/newsletters/CU/ac0302.asp#F8
http://www.catholic-church.org/st.paulcathedralpgh/current/minist-ref.shtml#lent

Impact

I'm starting to really crave caffeine. Only one more week..

Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday; a day all good Catholics get ashes, fast (no snacking and only one large meal), abstain from eating meat and give something up for 40 days. This year, I've decided to give up caffeine. Yeah I know it's suicide, but I'm trying to see how it will affect me. Stay tuned; so far, I'm already starting to doze off after lunch.