This and That BLOG

Today is the sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is also Super Bowl Sunday.

Lent starts on Wednesday. Do you know what you’re doing for Lent this year? Once you get past the requirements of the Church for fasting and abstinence it’s pretty much up to you to decide what’s best. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the themes of Lent but how each person implements them is left us to us.

When it comes to prayer I suggest you try to do something that is either more than the usual for you or maybe add something different. Adoration is always a great choice during Lent, anytime for that matter. Other possibilities might be to add one or more of the Hours the Church prays in the Liturgy of the Hours. The iBreviary app is an excellent way to pray some, or all, of the LoH. If you’re a subscriber to Magnificat or one of the other devotionals they have their own versions of morning prayer and evening prayer. Perhaps you could simply add a prayer, such as the Our Father or St Michael prayer to your daily routine. A great addition to you prayer life would be to pray for all of those getting ready to enter the Church at Easter. You can decide what’s best. Just do something in the area of prayer.

In terms of fasting you know about the Church’s requirements around fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as well as abstaining from eating meat on the Fridays of Lent. Beyond that I suggest you consider whether there’s something that’s keeping you from God, and if there is, fast from that. My classic example is the person who’s having trouble finding time to pray but is spending hours a day on Social Media. Maybe that person should at least reduce the amount of time they spend on Social Media. Remember, whether you fast from something completely or just reduce it, maybe the most important thing is what do you do with the time or money you gain. Remember, beyond the actual requirements of the Church I mentioned it’s up to you to decide what’s best for you.

In terms of almsgiving we’re asked to do something appropriate for our situation. Just figure out what that is for you but do something.

Many people also like to add something for Lent. I typically do this too. The add shouldn’t be penitential, just something that draws you closer to God. Maybe it’s reading some Scripture or a book on a spiritual topic. I mentioned a few possibilities last week. Maybe it’s attending Mass one weekday each week. By the way, that’s how I became a lector. Our late friend Jack Link, who was my RCIA sponsor, was filling the vacant Thursday lector position and he noticed me attending Thursday morning Mass during Lent that year. He asked if I would be interested in reading at Mass and I said yes. The blessings that flowed for me from that yes are innumerable. Anyway, there are many, many things you might do as a Lenten project so to speak. You just should figure out, perhaps by asking God to show you what He would like for you to do, and then do it. If you start something, then fall off the wagon as they say, just start again, or find something else to do. Again, it’s all up to you.

When it comes to Lenten disciplines some people can be legalistic. For example, if you’re a Coke drinker, like me, Diet Coke to be exact, and you want to give up Coke for Lent I don’t think it is logical to replace it with Pepsi. Yes, you gave up something that you like, so that’s penitential, but you replaced it with something that’s pretty close. Whatever you decide is your decision. I’m not here to lecture to you but I encourage you to think about what you’re doing and see if it makes sense in the big scheme of things. Intentionality is my favorite word when it comes to living the Christian life. In fact, I’m giving a talk to our OCIA group in March and my primary message is going to be around acting intentionally in living the faith. So, I say to you as I’ll say to them, act with purpose when it comes to Lent as well as all other times.

The other thing I would say about Lent is that we’re not meant to spend six weeks rending our garments and and sitting in ashes and sackcloth. Penitence is a part of Lent that’s for sure, but life is more than that. God gave us many good things and we can still enjoy them during Lent, while still observing the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. I think the key is to act intentionally in every aspect of our lives. We have a responsibility to prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter. We should take that responsibility seriously by intentional action but let’s also exude the joy that comes from being loved by a God who blesses us each day and gives us so many good things to enjoy.

My final Lenten advice is to make good choices and be serious about them. Doing nothing, or ignoring Lent, isn’t an option for us. Figure out what’s best for your situation that will help you draw closer to God and then do it.

The Super Bowl is tonight. I like the game, but I’m always interested in the ads too. I understand there are going to be four religious ads this year. There are two from the He Gets Us series https://hegetsus.com/en?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAiA_aGuBhACEiwAly57MV7LgrQF4LJoYw9Jc4LkTaCVKeoa9vC8Kusksy0N0EVpEEY-iNuQeRoCa9EQAvD_BwE

There is one from the Hallow app https://hallow.com/ and there is one about antisemitism from the Kraft Foundation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTaFHDGmuYI

I think it’s a good thing that religious groups are engaging the popular culture via these ads. It’s a reminder that we don’t just attend Mass for our own salvation and to give God glory. We are also being prepared for mission and sent out to engage the world.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

I hope you have a great week.

Peace, Bob