Some of you may be aware that this week marks the beginning of Lent, the festival that many Christians celebrate — or suffer through — in the run-up to Easter. It commemorates the 40 days and nights Jesus spent fasting and being tempted by the devil in the desert. Having been brought up by a devout Irish Catholic father, and sent to a convent school, I feel guilty if I do not observe the Lenten period by at least trying to give up some kind of earthly pleasure or vice, as many Christians are encouraged to do alongside the two other pillars of Lent: prayer and almsgiving. And I’m sure some of you will also be giving things up — chocolate, alcohol or Twitter perhaps — even if you have no Christian background or faith, for reasons of self-discipline, health or just sanity.
你們中有些人或許知道，本週將開始進入大齋節(Lent)，有許多基督徒會慶祝——或者說苦苦捱過——復活節前的這個節日。它是爲了紀念耶穌在荒原齋戒和被魔鬼引誘的40個日夜。