Lenten Practices

Momma would dread the start of Lent for many years until recently when I saw it as an opportunity for growth.

Momma Explains: As a child, Lent meant that I needed to give up something and try to be nicer to my brothers and sisters. Since I was the oldest and very bossy, this was painful and dreaded. I still am a person who loathes self-sacrifice. I like my comforts and the gifts of the earth. Lent used to mean that I resentfully needed to sacrifice many of my favorite things. Now however, I have been blessed to have been given some insight by a priest and several Christian authors. This insight has allowed me to approach Lent with a smile. I still try to make a physical sacrifice, basically restrict certain foods or beverages but I also try to improve a part of my life and increase my prayer rituals. Rather than looking at these as sacrifices, I now see it as empowerment. I am empowering my spiritual side by turning off my dependence on material things. I am becoming a stronger spiritual person, and the spirit needs to be strong. It has become my custom during Lent to find a new daily prayer to add to my litany. Sometimes it is a very short prayer but I enjoy finding prayers and new recipients for those prayers. I am growing and strengthening the spirit, the part of me that is easily forgotten with the demands of the day. Lent is a wonderful reminder for us all to look to the inside, the internal, and the spiritual. Feed those components and be a Lenten pilgrim. You will be better for the journey.