Lent is the time of year for the Catholic Church that involves penance and preparation for Easter. Now, there might be a bit of spring cleaning involved in this process, but for the most part, Lent is about working on yourself. It’s a time when each of us practices rooting out our faults and replacing them with good habits. If our Lent is successful, then we’ve grown closer to God by the end of it, and further away from the things that distract us from Him.
In order to have a good Lent, you have to have a game plan. Trying to “give things up” and make sacrifices all willy-nilly is not going to get you to a more peaceful state by Easter. It’s better to do a few things well, instead of trying to over-achieve and squeeze in as many ideas as possible. When people speak of Lent, the first thing that comes to mind is giving up chocolate or candy. While that is a great thing to do, it’s not really going to count if you’re just doing it because it’s the most obvious choice. Lent has two sides to it: (1) The sacrifices prepare your mind and soul to focus on God and (2) the devotions help to foster a deeper connection with Him. If you want to be closer with Him, then you can’t have any attachments to things that could drag you down or hold you back.
With that in mind, I will be sharing my goals for Lent 2017 to hopefully inspire you to take further steps to get to know and love God. I will be addressing 1 or 2 items in each of the following three categories:
Mortification / Sacrifices:
Don’t get confused by the word “mortification.” It doesn’t mean that you purposefully embarrass yourself every day. It means to deprive yourself of some bodily comfort that you rely on a bit too much. For me, unfortunately, that means giving up sweets. I did this once before, and I’m not going to lie. It was really hard. But I stuck to it, and I loved how my body felt when Easter came around. I even pushed away the Easter candy because I lost my taste for all that sugar. I usually gave myself a reprieve on the weekends, but even then, I kept tight control. No sugary breakfast junk, no sugary snacks in between meals. I’m also giving up TV, except for weekends. Movies are ok, but I watch few movies anyway. Again, I’ve done this once before, and I loved the result. The silence is great, and I’ve found that I’ve had more time to do the things I love because I’m not glued to a screen. The point of mortification is to deny your body (and /or mind) something that is unhealthy. When you do that, you worry less about your physical comfort, and your mind has more time to focus on what really matters in life. Of course, do everything in moderation. Don’t be super lazy and keep on making “exceptions,” but don’t go overboard and starve yourself or jeopardize your health. If the sacrifice is mildly annoying enough for you to keep it up, then that’s a pretty good balance.
Devotions:
The same rule goes for this category as well: Everything in moderation. When I was about 15, I kind of got obsessed with all the different prayers and devotions that are available, and I tried to cover all the bases. It turns out I ended up doing none of it well. This year I’m taking things a little slower. As a family, we’re aiming to say the Rosary every night. For me personally, I ‘m just going to try and spend fifteen minutes praying each day, preferably in the morning so I can start my day on the right foot. It occurred to me a couple of months ago that I’ve never really read the Old Testament. So I’ve decided to meditate on 1 chapter of the Bible every day, asking God to direct me to whatever part of that passage would be most helpful to me. I usually find something that speaks to me, or an idea occurs to me that helps me to see things in a new way. I also plan on attending the Stations of the Cross services at my parish. I find that thinking about the Passion brings me closer to Christ and makes me more grateful for His care of me. Even if you only do one devotion, it’s better to do one well and give it your full attention, rather than doing five and letting your mind wander.
Work on a Particular Fault:
Here is where I’m going to be a bit unconventional. I have always had a tendency to be incredibly hard on myself. I’ve been going through some tough things lately, and right now, it is a real sacrifice for me to focus on taking care of myself, i.e.: going to sleep on time, eating healthy, allowing myself to relax, etc. The particular fault I’m going to work on is my perfectionism. I have to teach myself that I don’t have to have a plan for everything, that I’m allowed to have bad days and make mistakes, and that I am worth taking care of. There is a saying that says: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” I can’t give to others unless I take care of myself first.
Overall, it seems like Lent is going to be an interesting journey for me. It is my prayer that I find more spiritual peace by Easter, and if I stick to my resolutions, then it looks like that is going to happen. But there’s no rush. I’m going to take Lent one day at a time, and I encourage you to do the same. You wouldn’t rush a friendship, right? Well, friendship with God works the same way. You have to take the time to get to know Him, and that is what Lent can help you to achieve. Maybe the most important theme for me this year is summed up in these words:
“Be still and see that I am God.” –Psalm 45: 11
