People often don’t look forward to Lent. Childhood memories
of giving up candy or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross come
immediately to mind. Words like “sacrifice,” “discipline,” and “self-denial”
are often used in ways that suggest that Lent is something to be endured rather
than a time of grace and spiritual growth.
Have you ever
thought of Lent as a yearly second chance? Each year the Church gives us six
weeks to take a long, loving look at our lives to see if our values and
priorities are in line with God’s desires for us. Since most of us find that
we’ve wandered from God’s path, Lent becomes that second chance, or do-over, to
“return to God with our whole heart.”
I like to share
Lenten practices and memories of people who have shared their stories with me.
Their experiences range from pious and traditional to creative and
out-of-the-ordinary, but all of them represent attempts to make the season of
Lent a meaningful time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for themselves, their
loved ones, and their communities. Invite family members to share their
thoughts, hopes, and desires for Lent. Decide to support one another in
whatever you choose to do. As you journey through this annual second chance,
remember that each step brings you closer to the welcoming arms of our loving
God.
YOUR Favorite Lenten Practices
From the breakfast
table to the car seat, from writing to drawing, from giving something up to
doing something more . . . Let the wisdom and spirit of these stories inspire
you in your own Lenten journey.
Around the breakfast table
One of my best Lenten practices was begun when my children were in elementary
school and I was a working parent. It seemed as though we were struggling to
find time to eat dinner as a family and this was greatly disturbing me. I
decided that if we were unable to hold the dinner hour sacred due to work
schedules and after school activities, I would instead hold the breakfast hour
sacred. I made sure to get up each morning during Lent just a little earlier so
that I could not only provide breakfast for my family but actually sit
together, pray our meal prayer and begin each day on a happy note. It began in
Lent and didn’t end until my children went off to college many years later. I
learned that Lenten habits could carry far off into the future with my family.
The impact was dramatic in that each day was started with a prayer and positive
attitudes. Breakfast became and remains one of our favorite rituals of the day.
Roberta, IL
Drawing a prayer
I took time every day to draw in a sketchbook. I called the time my “God Time.”
I wanted to make each day of Lent special by taking time to reflect on God and
my relationship to God.
Barbara, OH
My Lenten jar
I always have nice things that I’d like to do, but never seem to make time to
get to: write a letter to a friend, visit a lonely person, call a distant
friend. At the beginning of Lent, I write down 40 plus
tasks, one per little
slip of paper, and toss them in a jar. Then, each morning of Lent, I pull one
out and do the task written there. It teaches me that I like surprise and
variety in my Lenten practices. For me, this is a simple way to concentrate on
the disciplines of giving alms and doing good for others.
Mark G., KS
Dialing into God
Instead of listening to music or talk radio in my car, I decided to take that
time for prayer and to listen to God. At first, it was a difficult transition;
the silence was deafening. But soon, I began to enjoy the quiet time. I prayed
for people who I knew needed my prayers. I prayed for my family and myself. I
also thanked God for my many blessings. I found that I became much more calm
and peaceful during this time. This reflective time grounded and centered me to
do my best.
Donna, NC
A thank you note a day
Each day of Lent, through prayer, a name surfaces of a person who has had an
impact on my life in some way. I then take the time to write a handwritten note
to that person. I have been amazed at the people that come to mind: from my retired
professor friends at the Newman Center, to a brother priest in Las Vegas, to
the Lutheran builder I refer to as the Good Shepherd, to an outstanding
newspaper reporter who has published many of my Sonshine reflections in his
local paper. I send the notes without the expectation of a response. Yet, I
have received several emails and notes stating how much it meant to the person.
Life is too short —we see that with Jesus—but, we have the opportunity to share
our thoughts with those who have made an impact (some don’t even know it, until
they receive the note).
Fr. Matt East Bethany, NY
YOUR Favorite Lenten Memories
Whether we have
decided to do something new this Lent, or have continued our own traditions,
our Lenten practices transform us and imprint on us memories that carry deep
meaning. Let these stories invite you to look into your life and discover your
own powerful and meaningful Lenten moments.
Coming home
I had been away from the Church for many years. I did not have an especially
strong upbringing in the Church, so it was easy to fall away as a young adult.
When my mother died when I was 31, I was very angry at God. After over a year
of being angry at God, I felt a really strong need to go to Mass. I ignored
that feeling for awhile but found myself in church one Ash Wednesday. There, in the quiet of the Church
before the service started, I felt called home. All throughout that Lent, every
homily felt like it was spoken directly to me. God let me know, in the death
and resurrection of his son, that he was big enough to handle my anger; patient
enough to wait for me to heal from it; and that he never stopped loving me. To
this day, Lent reminds me of my homecoming!
Lori A., WA
A forgiving family
We had a family practice of weekly prayer during Lent that we called Friday
Forgiveness. After the evening meal, my husband would read a story of
forgiveness from the Bible. I would offer a brief reflection and then we would
engage in Friday Forgiveness. Each person would ask every family member for
their forgiveness, and the other person would respond by forgiving them. Each
person forgave and asked for forgiveness. No particular faults were mentioned,
only a general petition for forgiveness. The experience was never routine. It
was a time to experience healing and peace returning to our home.
JAH, IA
A sacramental desert moment
When I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, I used to go hiking in the desert. One Ash
Wednesday, there was a sudden downpour. The redrocks were washed and intense in
color; a vibrant rainbow appeared; and water pooled in a worn basin in the
sandstone. Without thinking, I reached into that water and blessed myself—it
was so holy and sacred. The water disappeared into the sandstone and the
rainbow into the heavens, but both remain in my heart.
Rosemory, New York
It is no time to be silent On
Palm Sunday, Jesus knows what’s about to happen, and he can’t keep silent. He
sees Jerusalem and his eyes fill with tears because he knows there’s a chance
for peace—a chance that’s going to be missed. The people will choose violence
and rebellion and bloodshed. And then the city will be leveled and not one
stone will be left upon another. Then the scattered stones themselves will
shout out the people’s folly. The rubble of Gaza, the wreckage of Ukrainian
cities, the scattered debris of American homes lost to fire, flood, and other
climate-related disasters, the deportation of legal immigrants all speak aloud
of the foolishness of government and our resistance to listen to the word of
God. Protests in our city and around the country are a cry for peace,
reconciliation, and forgiveness and justice that has to be sounded even if we
think no one is listening. I think we find ourselves in an hour similar to that
in which Jesus entered Jerusalem. Things are tense. People are unhappy. It is
no time to be silent, because the society is hungry for the things Jesus came
to give: love, compassion, fellowship, forgiveness, cooperation, and
self-denial. It might start with a simple conversation with a neighbor or a
family member about what faith in Jesus means to you. Neighbors, family and friends
protesting today.
A Good Friday God Moment
Last Easter, I was invited by Fr Erick, pastor Divine Mercy in Las Vegas,
to concelebrate Holy Week Services. In planning the liturgy for Good Friday,
tradition invites the parishioners during the service to venerate the cross.
This ia a sign of our love and gratitude to Jesus who died on the cross for our
sins. Some people would approach the cross on their knees, others would genuflect
and then kiss the cross, a few would simply touch the body. However, a God
moment occurred when a mother walked up to the cross with her five- old son and
after she kissed the cross, her son hugged the foot of the cross by putting his
little arms around the feet of Jesus. This was a moment when a child showed
those who noticed how his trusting and love for Jesus. After the service, I
asked this young boy to hug the cross again and Fr. Erick and I shared our
thanks to this lad for his beautiful spontaneous gesture of love.
Fr. Matt, NY
Lord, I pray for all
my Sonshine Friends that this Lenten season has brought us closer to one
another and Your compassion to serve the poor, the migrants and all in need of
your protection and care.
If you have a
favorite Lenten memory, please forward to: drmattkawiak@gmail.com
