This and That BLOG

Today is the eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Since Wednesday is the beginning of Lent I thought it would be good to mention a few things about this penitential season and how we can make it fruitful.

As you know Lent is the primary penitential season in our year and there’s always a lot of talk about what we’re giving up, etc. While we should follow the Church’s rules about fasting and almsgiving, assuming there’s no medical reason not to, I think it’s fair to say the greatest opportunity for fruitfulness lies in the voluntary things we add. If we can couple the giving up with adding something of value that’s the best case scenario.

An example of doing that might be to reduce our time on Social Media and use that saved time to read Scripture or pray. A similar practice involving almsgiving might be to reduce what you spend on coffee, soft drinks, snacks, etc. and repurpose that money for the poor. You get the idea.

You probably have some experience doing various things, and I’d like to hear from you about any you think are worth passing along to others, but here are a few of mine:

• Go to weekday Mass at least once a week. If you’re already attending a weekday Mass add another one.
• Read a spiritual book. Some of my favorites have been The Return of the Prodigal Son by the great Henri Nouwen, Mercy is the City by Kerry Weber, and You did it to Me by Fr. Michael Gaitley.
• One practice I really enjoyed was the combination of Praying the Office of Readings from the Liturgy of the Hours coupled with reading a chapter from Roman Pilgrimage by George Weigel. The book is set up to align with the Office of Readings.
• Read a book from the Bible. I read the Gospel of Luke one year and the book of Job another year.

Remember the overall goal is to grow closer to God during the Lenten “retreat”. Yes, we need to do an honest self-examination and identify our sins and practice penance for them, but, to me, the real gold is to be found in what we add.

Regardless of what you “do” for Lent I hope it is fruitful for you.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

I hope you have a great week.

Peace, Bob