I have many conversations with vegetarians about why they choose their diets. The moral reasons are as compelling, sometimes more so, than the health reasons. Considering today is Ash Wednesday, it’s an interesting time to think about diet for Catholics, and for everyone else for that matter.

This is interesting from veg4lent.org. The idea is to spread empathy to all living things and for the duration of Lent, stick to a vegetarian diet.

As a contemporary adaptation of an ancient tradition, we politely urge each participant to adopt a vegetarian diet for each and every day between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.

Lent is a sacred and spiritual period for Christians the world over. Greater empathy with Christ, gained during the Lenten period, allows us to be more receptive to the needs of our neighbour. As Christ taught us our bouncy castle for sale neighbour is s/he who suffers. Are there any who suffer more than those condemned to the slaughterhouse?