Parish Bulletin Article: "Goals in Lent": 2-18-18

And here we go for Lent, 2018.  Welcome back to fasting, praying, almsgiving, purple, pink, ashes, palms, scriptures, fish and more.

Please dive into these 40 days.  Take Lent day by day, and focus on Jesus Christ, as we already know how the story concludes with Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.  But if we take small steps every day, you can change some great opportunities to grow slowly in your spiritual lives.

Last fall I met with my spiritual director before Advent.  I asked Fr. Toni Wrobleski for some of his ideas.  He told me something that inspired me, and I hope that it helps you too.  He said, “Ben, don’t just give something away.  Yes, do that, but also add something to your prayer life.”

As I am a goal-oriented person, here are some ideas that may support you to both give away and add something spiritually.

Physical Ideas:

·      Give away something in which you eat or drink;

·      Do a “purge” of your closet at home with clothes—if you haven’t used it for a year, it could probably help someone who needs it now;

·      Offer part of your treasure to support the Operation Rice Bowl, our parish, our school, our Clothes Closet, the Servants of Shelter, our food shelf or others;

·      Write a card, letter or phone call to a loved one in your life each day;

·      Visit a nursing home or hospital to visit brothers and sisters who may be lonely or suffering;

·      Turn off your television, Netflix, internet, texting, snap chat, Facebook.

Spiritual Ideas:

·      Stretch your soul with a daily type of prayer like reading the Bible, Mass readings, Rosary, Chaplet or a devotion;

·      Find a spiritual book that you can consistently read;

·      Use a prayer journal;

·      Add prayers during normal habits like brushing your teeth, waking up in the morning or going to bed, exercising, doing dishes, doing laundry, beginning and ending a drive, before an end of a family meal;

·      Check out the belief of our Catholic morality;

·      Offer intercessions in your prayer and/or at Mass;

Finally, I always remember a great idea from a priest from St. Paul Seminary, then Fr. Andrew Cozzens, who is now Bishop Andrew Cozzens, in the middle of Lent.  He said, “If you have not failed something in your goals in Lent, you chose something too easy!”

Let’s journey well in Lent.

God Bless!