Lent is the 40-day period preceding Easter when Christians have traditionally abstained from meat and dairy in memory of Jesus' 40 days of fast and prayer before dying on the cross.

Jesus' powerful message of compassion and love for all living beings still applies in our time.

It's a time when animals are raised for food under abject conditions of caging, crowding, deprivation, drugging, mutilation and manhandling. When their wastes foul the water we drink and the air we breathe. When meat production accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse gases. When most chronic killer diseases are linked to consumption of animal products.

We can show our respect for Jesus' message by accepting a wholesome, nonviolent diet of vegetables, fruits and grains first mandated in Genesis I-29. Lent provides a splendid opportunity to explore meat- and dairy-free foods at our supermarket.

Ari Holten

Auburn