Lent Begins

Tomorrow begins the season of Lent.

I always anticipate the beginning of Lent. What will I offer up as my sacrifice? What keeps me away from God? I also try to add in something to help bring me closer to Our Lord.

This year, as usual, I will remove sweets from my diet. This will be more difficult this year as it appears I have become completely addicted to sugar products. I do, however, look forward to turning this addiction over to Christ and letting Him turn my weakness into a strength that can be used for His Will.

I am looking forward to stripping away the things that keep me from my God. Therefore, tv will also be banished from my life. The exception to this will be during Holy Week when B and MC and I will watch the Passion of Christ together. It will be B's first time to see it, and at 14.5, I think she is ready. The other exception will be the Core Secret DVD's I've ordered to try to strengthen my body after this last pregnancy.

My computer time will be drastically cut. Email will be next to nil, but I will use the internet for some of my faith reading and possibly to blog my journey this year.

I am adding some elements to my day to draw closer to Christ. First off, we will be reading the scriptures each day. Secondly, we will be praying the Angelus and the Divine Mercy each day. And we will be doing more study of the saints.

I also plan to attend Stations of the Cross each Friday at our parish, but if we are unable to, I have some homemade stations that we will place in different areas of our home and meditate on them as a family.

Some of the children are too young to truly understand what it means to give something up for 40 days (which must seem like 40 years to them), so I will be suggesting that they make a daily sacrifice, something different each day. Give up gum for a day, give up ice cream another, give up veggie tales, give up the computer game, etc. While they are giving things up, I will be trying to explain to them how Jesus gave everything up for 40 days in the desert before He gave His life up for us on Good Friday.

The most important thing for me to do this Lent is to reconcile all relationships that I can. I am struggling very much with one in particular and can not seem to figure out what I have done to cause this person pain. I did nothing intentional, but that does not matter. This dear person is hurt by something I have said or done, and I am praying that before the end of this 40 days comes, we will have had the chance to resolve whatever it is and move forward in our friendship. I ask for your prayers in this matter, whatever God's will is, that I can accept it and grow from it.

I pray that each of you has a blessed Lenten season. If you are not familiar with Lent or it's practices, I encourage you to try something small. Offer up something to God and He will bless your efforts many times over. You will be amazed at the peace you will feel by Easter morning.