is upon us
As we enter this period in our Church calendar, it is a good time to consider what Lent means to us personally. How will you prepare yourself to renew your baptismal promises at Easter? What will you do or not do to more closely follow Christ?
One way to reflect is to ponder upon the three traditional practices of Lent; prayer, fasting and works of charity.
Prayer: Many Catholics practice prayer as a talking to God through recitation of memorized prayers and devotions. These are good. I challenge you to go deeper into prayer by entering a dialogue with God. To do so means we have to quiet ourselves, a daunting task in our modern, fast-paced lifestyle. God already knows our needs and our weaknesses. By taking time to talk to God and listen for an inner response, we can better come to understand what God has in store for us and how much God waits for our turning even more to him. Devote a little more time each day that you normally do to sit with God in silence. You may begin by reading scripture or some spiritual writing. Then just ponder what you have read and ask God to speak to you. God will respond if we just quiet ourselves to hear.
Fasting: Self discipline is another lost art in today's world. The Lenten practice of fasting should include more than just "giving up" something. If the denying of a hunger for food or drink helps call to mind the need to simplify our life in order to follow Christ more closely, then it is god. Don't limit your fasting to food and drink. You can fast from practices that draw you away from companionship with God and God-in-others. For instance, a person may choose to fast from gossip, from criticism and or from mindless TV or internet use and instead use the time to build relationships with family, friends and community. Fasting from an activity that is not in keeping with the two great commandments of love for God and neighbor will help us be more prepared to fully celebrate Easter.
Alms-giving or works of charity: Do you remember the idea of "paying it forward?" This is the practice of performing random acts of kindness without notice, recognition or reward. The whole idea is to do something helpful for another to make their life better in some way. This could be as simple as an anonymous note of greeting to someone you know is alone or paying for a stranger's coffee without them knowing who is responsible. Of course, outward charity must be part of a softening of our hearts, particularly toward those less fortunate than ourselves. Remember the scripture passage; "Whatever you do for these least among you, you do for me." Giving of your time and energy to efforts to better our community, feed the hungry, help out a neighbor are all good ways to express our belief in the divine light in each of God's children.
Of course, giving funds to charity and to the church is good too. It should cause you to reflect on all the good that God has done for you and be a part of your giving back to the Lord.
Be creative Only you can decide what will help you turn even more toward Christ. May your Lenten devotions lead you ever closer to our savior so you may share fully in his resurrection.
