“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” That song may be referring to Christmastime, but for some of the Church faithful, that sentiment describes Lent.
Maybe it’s just my personality, but I actually look forward to Lent each year. The competitive side of me relishes a challenge, and, every year I challenge myself to either give something up for Lent or add something meaningful to my life during Lent.
One of the things that I committed to do during Lent a couple years ago, I’m still doing. I chose to attend Mass two days a week and started going to Mass on Wednesday mornings. I’ve grown to enjoy the smaller, more intimate Mass, where you know most of the people in church. Receiving the body and blood of Christ one extra time each week has been such a blessing, it’s kind of a spiritual booster shot half way through the week.
It would be hard to quit going to that Mass since I am now the lector on Wednesday mornings, I take up the gifts, and I’m the back-up rosary leader when the ladies who normally lead it aren’t able to do so. People are depending on me to be there.
As someone trying to be the best version of herself, Lent is the ideal time to commit to doing things that will make me a better person. Most years I try to give something up in the food area, such as sugar, desserts, snacking, etc. Then, I also try to find something pro-active to do that will make the season more meaningful for me.
Recently, I was introduced to the concept of fasting, from a spiritual perspective, which is something that Jesus spoke of in the Gospels.
Mark 9:25-29 And when Jesus saw the multitude running together, he threatened the unclean spirit, saying to him: Deaf and dumb spirit, I command thee, go out of him; and enter not any more into him. And crying out, and greatly tearing him, he went out of him, and he became as dead, so that many said: He is dead. But Jesus taking him by the hand, lifted him up; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples secretly asked him: Why could not we cast him out? And he said to them: This kind can go out by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
(Note: for some reason that majority of Bible editions have omitted the word fasting from that text. It’s not easy to find the original passage.)
For the past year, I’ve been dabbling with fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, but hadn’t fully committed to it. Fasting can mean different things to different people, everything from only consuming water, or only bread and water, or just one large meal on a fast day. This year, for Lent, my husband and I chose to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays by consuming only fresh fruits and vegetables on those days.
Seeing that I’m not much of a fruit person and probably don’t eat as many vegetables as I should on a daily basis, this will be a decent challenge for me. Generally, during Lent, I’m pretty faithful sticking to my commitments. That extra guilt factor keeps me on track!
This year, I’m also committing to doing a couple extra things to boost my faith and spiritual life. I will pray the rosary every day (for a particular special intention) and do one random act of kindness every day (thanks to my friend Marge Steinhage Fenelon, award-winning author of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots: A Living Novena and Forgiving Mother: A Marian Novena of Healing and Peace for the suggestion).
Day One, Ash Wednesday: so far so good. Keep me in your prayers that I can follow through with these commitments for the next six-and-a-half weeks! You’ll be in my prayers as well!