TOP TEN LENT PENANCES
Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1438: "The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for:
- spiritual exercises,
- penitential liturgies,
- pilgrimages as signs of penance,
- voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving,
- and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works)."
THE THREE C'S IT'S TIME TO GROW UP
Still giving up the three C's for Lent? (coke, coffee, and chocolate) Let me guess: great for your waistline, but never really helps you in your relationship with Christ. Most adult Catholics still pilgrim through the sacred season of Lent with the penances they adopted as children. They fast from their indulgences, only to return to them at Easter (and eventually add the weight they lost during Lent).
Well ... "if you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you always got." Don't you want more?
Lent is a time of renewal. It's a time for deepened relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. It's a time where you as an adult are able to look in the mirror as an adult and adopt spiritual exercises for adults.
However, many Catholics need help discerning what to do for Lent. Here are ten things to think about. Pick one ... and ask God to make this Lent your best ever.
TOP TEN LENT PENANCES FOR A MATURE CHRISTIAN
1. Daily Mass. Rethink your time; maybe you leave work on time or get up early or “fast” from lunch a few days a week. You have time, just rethink it.
2. Daily Prayer. Before work or after work or during lunch, shoot for 15 minutes Monday through Friday.
3. Holy Hour once a week. Our Eucharistic Adoration Chapel is open 24/7. Stop by once a week. There are resources there to teach you what to do for an hour.
4. The Sacrament of Reconciliation. This Lent, try going to Confession regularly ... maybe even once a week! Sounds crazy, I know. However, you’ll grow by leaps and bounds.
5. Focus on one sin. Let go of your pursuit of perfection. Focus on one sin. Focus on your biggest sin ... the one you don’t like to admit or talk about. Even if you keep reporting the same sin, keep going.
6. Admit your addiction. Look deep within ... be honest, brutally honest if you have to. You’ve tried to stop drinking, using, gambling, or looking at pornography. You can’t. Help is available. You’re not alone. Christ the Redeemer’s Alcoholics Anonymous group meets every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
7. Fasting. In dying to what our cravings crave we master our compulsions and grow in freedom. Pray about fasting ... it’s time to notch it up a bit.
8. Almsgiving. Dig deep ... literally. Let go a few special things and tithe that money to those in need.
9. Volunteer. I’ve heard it said that love is often spelled “T-I-M-E”. Instead of clinging to ourselves and trying to save for us, spend some time serving others. Commit to serving others once a week.
10. Pope Francis. Learn about him. Enter into his mind. Swim in his heart. Read what he says ... not what the media says he says.
