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I can’t believe we’re already talking about Lent, can you? In two weeks, we’ll celebrate Ash Wednesday, so I think this is a good opportunity to start making a game plan for Lent. So where do we begin? Ok, before we begin, don’t get hung up on vocabulary. I’m a Catholic and I’m going to use particular words to describe certain spiritual exercises and practices. Don’t let the ghosts of your past distract you. Think about the concepts I’m laying out and substitute your own vocabulary, then give it a try. If you’re not sure, drop me a comment or send me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.
Rather that giving something up for Lent, perhaps add something new, like a spiritual exercise or practice? Either way, the point of sacrificing, whether we give something up or we add something, is to help us to stop focusing on ourselves and our lives so that we can focus on Jesus.
Beginning a new spiritual exercise or practice can be uncomfortable. But that’s true for anything new we begin, right? If we start a new diet and exercise program, we can experience some discomfort, soreness and maybe some concern about the time it takes.
The same things can happen in our spiritual life. It might be a little uncomfortable in the beginning, it might even hurt a little, but you work through it to reap the benefits, right. Just like in our physical health, all it takes is a little sacrifice.
Okay. A word about sacrifice. The wife of a friend of mine told me this story. She was born and raised in England, and when she was a teenager, she and her family had the opportunity to listen to a talk given by St. Teresa of Calcutta. After the talk, she was even able to personally visit with Mother Teresa. She was so excited she wanted her father to meet her. So, she bounded like Tigger over to her father as only an excited teenager can do and she pulled her father over to Mother Teresa. As her father approached, he quickly pulled his checkbook, scribbled out a check and handed it to Mother Teresa. She folded the check and put it in her pocket. He asked, “Aren’t you going to look at it?” She told them, “Thank you for your gift, but obviously it didn’t mean much to you, so it probably isn’t going to mean much to me. But thank you for the gesture.” Well, having just been served a heaping plate of humility with a side dish of guilt, he pulled out his checkbook again. This time, she said, as he was writing the check, he shook the whole time! She said you could see the beads of sweat forming on his head. He handed the check over to Mother Teresa. She folded it and put in her pocket. He asked, “Aren’t you going to look at that one?” She said, “I don’t have to. I could tell that was a real sacrifice because it hurt.”
Let me ask you a question. Do you really think that giving up chocolate or soda or wine is a real sacrifice? Well, maybe if you’re an elementary school all except the wine part, maybe that’s a real sacrifice, but for the rest of us – middle school and above. I don’t think so. We’ve got to dig deeper.
Well, the Catholic Church has a treasure trove of spiritual exercises that we can use to help us lead a healthy spiritual life. Often this time of year, we hear a lot about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. And the beautiful part is that we’re adding this to our lives which means the sacrifice is time.
Let’s start with prayer.
St. Paul tells us that we should pray without ceasing – not just the clergy and the consecrated religious – but all of us (1 Th 5:16-18). How can we do that? One of the ways we can introduce a little more prayer into our lives during Lent is to begin every day with prayer, perhaps with a morning affirmation. I like to say the following three affirmations.
- Where I am, God is.
- I am divinely guarded and guided, protected and directed.
- I am perfect health, every day in every way.
Where I am, God is. This is a great daily affirmation. It’s a reminder to me that no matter where I am, no matter how I feel, no matter how lonely I might feel, I am not alone.
I am divinely guarded and guided, protected and directed. This is also a good reminder that not only am I not alone, but I don’t have to face the challenges of life alone. No matter the obstacle before me, I have access to God’s abundant grace.
I am perfect health, every day in every way. This is really important especially if you are not in the best of health. Look, any doctor will tell you psychology plays a big part in our health. If we think we are old and sick, then we are going to feel old and sick. But it’s not just about illness, right? People of all ages can have a negative self-image. Maybe we tell ourselves we are too fat, too hairy or balding, too pale or too dark, or whatever. But we need to remind ourselves that we are creations of God. The first part of physical, emotional and spiritual healing is to accept who we are and that starts with the body we have. To affirm our body and to love our body is where we begin. And so, we start the day by telling ourselves, “I am perfect health, every day in every way.”
This is just one example of a way we can add more prayer to our lives. But we could do other things, like maybe try to attend a daily mass or we could pray the rosary.
Fasting. Scripture doesn’t say “if you fast,” but, “when you fast.” It seems we’re starting to rediscover the importance of fasting to our overall health. It’s also important for our spiritual health. If you haven’t fasted in a while, then here’s a couple of ground rules. First, if you have a health condition, you should consult with physician. Be sure to tell your physician that your faith is important to you and you want to incorporate fasting as part of your spiritual practice. Your physician should be able to help you design a program that’s right for you.
If you are not under the care of a physician, then how can we start? Well, intermittent fasting can be an effective part of any diet and exercise program, and it can be very helpful as the beginning of a spiritual practice. How can you get started? Well, let me recommend this. Start out your day with a mini fast. Your body is “fasting” while you sleep, so the idea is to extend that fast until lunchtime. Yes, you may have a cup of coffee or tea, but try to avoid eating, and drink plenty of water. Intermittent fasting is a great way to reintroduce fasting into your life. It’s not only good for your physical health, but it’s good for your spiritual health as well.
Alms giving. Many churches provide a box of some kind to help you save your loose change, like a rice bowl or an Ashes to Easter box. These types of savings can help support the charitable and missionary work of your community or a foreign missionary service program, like Friends of los Niños. If your church doesn’t have something like that, then maybe you can set out a cup and encourage your family and visitors too donate their change into this little cup. And then after Lent, donate the money from the cup to your church specifically for some charitable work, or some charitable ministry in your community, better if it’s connected to the church because this is a spiritual exercise. Or you can support another faith-based international ministry, like Friends of Los Niños. For example, let’s say that part of your fast is that you give up going to a high-end coffee shop for your midday gourmet coffee drink. Well, why not take the money you would have spent that day on that high-end beverage and put it in the box? Combining fasting with alms giving – that’s a real dynamic duo! And if you’re giving up a high-end coffee drink, then that money will add up really fast.
This is just a very brief sample of some of the things you can do during Lent. But there are plenty of other things you could do. You could attend the Stations of the Cross which is a powerful and prayerful reflection on Christ’s journey to Calvary. You could try to make it to a daily mass. Lent is also a great time to go to confession. There are so many options, and I know it can be overwhelming. I encourage you to reach out to your pastor or someone on your parish staff for some more ideas in your community. I’ll also have some resources up on the website soon. The point is, now is the time to start thinking about things you can sacrifice, either by removing things from your life or adding spiritual practices to your life, to help you draw closer to Jesus Christ.
Last but not least, you are not alone on your Lenten journey. Be a part of your community. Everyone else is on a similar journey as you. Don’t know many people at your church? Well, Lent is a great time to correct that. At many Catholic parishes, for example, the Knights of Columbus put on fish dinners. These are great opportunities to meet new people in your community and maybe learn about programs going on in your church during Lent.
Homework. After encountering Christ in the Eucharist and in the Word of God proclaimed, I encourage you to reflect on the following.
- First, how can you incorporate more prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent?
- Second, pick something and give it a try this Lent. If you forget, like fasting, that’s ok. Just start again. The point is do something.
Hopefully through our Lenten sacrifice, we will stop just for a little while focusing on our lives and grow closer to Jesus. Got it? Good! May each of us come to know the mercy and the love of Jesus Christ. May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!