Yesterday I was thinking about it being the beginning of Lent and what I was going to give up for 40 days. I had already planned to take pictures with my boys of our ashes. Then I would share those pictures and my Lenten promises with you today. But one of those is going to happen and one is not...
We still took our pictures, but after the readings at last night's Ash Wednesday service I decided not to share my Lenten promises.
The Gospel was from Matthew and it said:
The Gospel was from Matthew and it said:
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
"When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
It specifically says not to share your fastings, almsgiving, sacrifices, etc.
Instead I am going to share with you a recent conversation I had with my sister about what to do for Lent and what we think about it. It doesn't mean it is perfect, but I really enjoyed the conversation.
When we think of Lent we think 'what am I going to give up for Lent'. That is how we approached it as children. As we have gotten older we approach it a little differently. These thoughts aren't anything original. They are based on our Catholic upbringing, things we have read, and the sermon from our priest last night. Melisa has no clue that I am putting this together but this is essentially what we came up with.
An example of #1 is giving up sodas which you love. Every time you crave the soda you stop and say a prayer of thanksgiving, strength to fight the craving, patience, or whatever is on your mind. Therefore this fasting is bringing you closer to God through prayer.
An example of #2 could be attending mass every Monday during Lent or attending the Stations of the Cross every Friday of Lent. Another idea is setting aside a special prayer time each day to say the rosary or some other prayer of choice. This is choosing something extra that brings you closer to God.
An example of #3 is every night you read a book before bed. By the time you stop reading you are so tired that you forget to pray before bed or fall asleep mid-prayer. During Lent you could work on praying before you read or not reading as long so you still have time to pray. Another example could be giving up your late Saturday nights that cause you to oversleep or not feel like getting up for church on Sundays. This is changing your habits that pull you away from God.
The goal for Lent is not to challenge yourself to see if you can give up chocolate, Facebook, or sodas. The goal is to reflect on your life and find ways to improve your relationship with God as we prepare for Easter. You can choose one of these approaches or you could choose to do multiple. I just put this together as a simple way to think about Lent and what you want to do during this Lenten season.
Let me know what you think
Casen and I shared a PB&J on our meatless Ash Wednesday
