Hallo, dear CYW readers! Grace here. I'm popping into to remind you that Ash Wednesday is the day after tomorrow...
Which means the season of Lent is upon us and about to begin. I'm rather excited. It promises to be a meaningful and lovely (but challenging in a good way - fasting and abstaining is no idyllic walk in the park!). It'll be 40 days to draw nearer to God, quiet the voice of the world in my daily life, and "give up" something in the spirit of sacrifice.
I'll be sharing some thoughts and ideas for this Lenten season, as well as some explanations for why exactly we do the things we do as Catholics, such as: Ashes. Abstaining from meat. The significance of Fridays. Why purple is the color used in the church during this time. And of course, my own personal resolutions on celebrating Lent as a young Catholic woman.
I'm excited to share my Lenten series of posts with y'all...for now, though, enjoy Mardi Gras -or as it's called in English, Fat Tuesday!
What are your plans for this Lent? Do you celebrate Lent? Has there always been an aspect you loved or that confused you? Don't be afraid to chime in - I'd love to hear what you think!
My family and I have been preparing for Lent today. We've just decided on what we're giving up for Lent, and it was a hard decision, because we don't normally have many extras. It's ended up in giving up sweets, movies, and desserts, which are the only practical, physical things to give up.
ReplyDeleteI myself am going to take on a couple of extras, like saying a decade of the rosary ever night, and doing spiritual readings. It's the first time I've every tried this, so I'm hoping I can stick to it.
Imogen, that sounds like some wonderful resolutions. I can definitely sympathize with the difficult part of it...last year, I gave up chocolate, coffee, and Starbucks - very hard! But it was so rewarding come Easter. I think sacrifice is a beautiful thing. It teaches us to be so grateful for the smallest things. :) Best wishes to you and your family!
ReplyDeleteI really wanted to have a good Lent this year (I've not done so well in the past...) but my family and I are moving, and it really makes it hard to be recollected and spend a lot of time focusing purely on God. If you have any ideas on how to properly celebrate Lent while being extremely busy (and exhausted both physically and mentally), I'd be so very grateful. Right now the only concrete thing I can think of is giving up dessert. But I can't JUST do that, and I don't know what else I could do that I'll be able to stick to.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Victoria! I agree with Laura - your busy, hectic schedule is a wonderful opportunity for grace! Something as simple as remembering to breathe and offer the stressful moments up as a sacrifice is wonderful.
DeleteBeing a bit busy myself, I'll definitely put together a post about celebrating Lent admist craziness. Hang in there, girlie!
Returningtorome, welcome, sweetie! I'm so happy and excited for you during your preparation. What a joyful, exciting time. :) those sound like some excellent Lenten resolutions...I'm right with you on the "battitude." I tend to get snippy myself. Maybe we encourage and support each other. Just be careful not to take on so much that you get discouraged. Sometimes it gets overwhelming!
Thanks so much for your input, Laura! You have some great advice. I'm hoping to improve in tithing personally. Tim Staples and Patrick Madrid have some great talks on the Catholic faith. I highly recommend Tim Staples. I haven't heard Patrick myself, but I have some guy friends that laud him.
This is my first lent and I'm very excited (especially for my confirmation into the Church at the Easter vigil). I'm giving up a few things. 1. Social media sites (creative, I know). 2. My space heater and electric blanket. Those who know me know that Minnesota winters and I do not get along. I hate cold so this will be a challenge. 3. My "badittude" as my roommates so lovingly call it. I can be a little sassy at times and not very Christ-like, so I'm working on that this year. Hopefully I'm not taking on too much! There will be some sort of extra prayer in there I just have to figure out how that will look.
ReplyDeleteVictoria- I think the stress of moving is going to give you lots of opportunity for grace this Lent! :) Maybe just offer up the physical work and emotional stress to Jesus and try to keep a cheerful attitude. :)
ReplyDeleteReturningtorome- I'm so excited for you in your journey...the Vigil is so beautiful and it stirs my soul to see the new converts. I have a friend who is looking into the Catholic Church, I might share your
blog with him. :)
My own choices for Lent this year: avoiding gossip,esp. at work and in my thoughts! Also want to get a better tithing schedule
and listen to Catholic educational cds (talks, testimonies, etc). :)
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