Lent 2012

Hello friends,
Heavenly Father, thank you for blessing us with your Son, Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, many of us would remain lost, seeking only the pleasures of this world to fill the longing for you in our souls. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

After many, many, many years of only 'giving things up,' for Lent, this year, finally, I feel like I understand what Lent means.

Lent isn't so much about 'giving things up,' as it is about 'in place of.'
'In place of' watching my favorite television show, I'm going to watch EWTN, the Catholic t.v. channel, more often.
'In place of' playing my favorite game on my phone, I'm going to surf the web for Catholic prayers, and in those moments I'm 'bored,' I'm going to pray and thank God for the blessings in my life.
'In place of' being a gossip at work, I am going to do my best to be kind to the person who seems to constantly receive ridicule.

'In place of' eating sweets, I'm going to contemplate Christ's forty days in the desert of fasting, and join in His sacrifice.
'In place of' buying Starbucks, I'm going to give that money to the Church, or my favorite charity.
God willing, and I pray for this most fervently during these forty days, some of these 'in place ofs,' will have changed me to become permanent habits in my everyday life by the time we celebrate Easter.

I thought about this the other day: there are enough Catholic prayers written to fulfill every living, breathing moment of life with prayer. It is possible to follow Paul's recommendation, 1Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

God already blesses us, even in our muted, unaware state of how much He loves us and cares for us...can you imagine how much more blessed and cared for we will be when we do our best to stay in a constant state of prayer? A consistent 'looking for Him,' in our everyday comings and goings? WOW.

A good friend said something interesting to me yesterday, after mass. She said, "I don't know why I'm amazed at all the wonderful blessings in my life, or in my daughter's life, my mother prays for me earnestly since the day I was born; just as I have prayed ardently for my daughter since the day she was born..."

One last 'in place of'...in place of gripping about a bad day, or being frustrated with a work situation, I pray sweetly to my Lord, Jesus Christ, "I love you, Jesus; I adore you Lord. Thank you for my life, for my job..." My days have become pleasant and peaceful.

Enjoy Lent. It is a time of renewal; a time to get back to 'what's Real and True' in our lives: God's love for us. Amen.
"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Theresa