Catholics have this great thing about sacrifice and suffering. We like it. Perhaps that’s a little misleading. I think I can rightly say we appreciate it. You see, when Jesus chose to die on a Cross for us, to suffer, He gave meaning to suffering. Your suffering, my suffering, the pain of the cancer patient, […]
Lent is designed to be a time for sacrifice and self-denial, the point of which is to deepen one’s relationship with God and strengthen habits of self control. What you “give up” you can “offer up” as a prayer, united with Christ’s sacrifice of the Cross. Fasting is a powerful way to make an impact
Sometimes I make hasty decisions. When I decided to go gluten free for Holy Week, I just did it. It wasn’t until I was writing a post about it that I began to realize it was going to take a lot more effort than I had given it credit for. Gluten is in wheat, rye
Why sacrifice? Why suffer on purpose? During the season of Lent, Catholics and many others choose to accept suffering, even bring it on themselves through voluntary sacrifice called fasting. To the outside observer, it may seem meaningless, even a bit insane to call suffering a form of prayer. I couldn’t disagree more. I’ve mentioned before
Mary and Martha Moment: On Sacrifice and Suffering Read More »
When my almost-five-year-old son heard that Lent was coming, he exclaimed, “I remember Lent! I hate Lent!” Surprised at his fervor, I fought to remain calm and detached myself and asked, “Oh? What do you remember about Lent that was so bad?” “I don’t get desserts in Lent!” he fired back with an earthy groan.
Mary and Martha Moment: Celebrating Lent with Children Read More »
Give Up or Do More? The query, “What are you giving up for Lent?” just doesn’t cut it with me. It falls short of recognizing the three-fold purpose of Lent: prayer, fasting, AND almsgiving. I always try to say, “What are you DOING for Lent?” and I used to post my third graders’ “Lenten promises”
Mary and Martha Moment My Standard Sacrifice Since I was a child, I remember my father doing the same things for Lent every year. He would go to daily Mass and observe a modified fast by avoiding eating between meals. When I was in high school, I too began to eat only three meals a
