Instead of dreading Lent like I did just a few years back, I now have a more “bring it on!” attitude and approach Lent as a wonderful way to “get back to the basics”. The basics, of course, are prayer, almsgiving and fasting.
My increase in prayer during the season of Lent has taken different forms over the years including Lenten devotional books, scriptural reading, the rosary, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, but this year I am trying something new. I am meditating on and praying for an increase in the virtue of love. To assist me in this, I am reading “I Believe in Love: A Personal Retreat Based on the Teaching of St. Therese of Lisieux”. I am journaling as I work my way through this wonderful book and will pray for the courage to apply its teachings to my daily life – now and beyond this holy season.
My almsgiving will include charitable giving, which I like to think as not only giving of my money and belongings to the less fortunate, but also, freely giving of myself to those in my midst each day – my husband and children. I assure you, I know I am weak so this giving will not be heroic; it will be simple but will be done out of love. When I am tired from a long day and my one-year-old is crying while everyone else has disappeared from the dinner table to leave the clean-up for me, I will bite my tongue and will look at the little crucifix I have near my kitchen sink. This will remind me of the heroic love Jesus displayed and will certainly humble me to realize that clearing the table and washing dishes is hardly equal to His sacrifice! You wives and mothers know, there are probably hundreds of these opportunities every day – to bite our tongues and give simply to our families with a loving attitude.
Fasting has not changed much for me over the years. I get stuck in a rut giving up the usual things and but it is always challenging. The difference now is that when I’m being tempted to take just a half of a cookie (“I surely won’t go to hell for that!”) and it’s Saturday night and that glass of wine has my name on it (“Really, does God expect me to be perfect at all times?”), I rejoice when I am able to overcome the temptations and I can almost literally feel the graces being given to me by our Lord. What strength and peace comes from those moments!
While I know the graces received from practicing prayer, almsgiving and fasting are immeasurable, my focus on them tends to fade during different times of my life – particularly with the busyness that comes with raising 4 children. However, the older I get, the more I actually look forward to Lent every year as a way to prioritize my spiritual life and get back to the basics. Lent…bring it on!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment