Ash Wednesday is right around the corner and with it comes a new Lent.
Lent is the time Christ asks us to come away from ourselves and join him in desert as we await the new day that is Easter morning – risen to new life from a life of sin and death. Traveling into the desert, even from our living rooms, means packing supplies for the journey and not taking anything we don’t need. The desert can be a tough place and weighing ourselves down with unnecessary burdens will only make the journey tougher. Lent asks us to leave our selfish indulgences behind and turn our back on our sins.
Giving up something concrete such as TV or a favorite dessert empties us of ourselves, leaving room for more Jesus. We can fill up those new empty spaces with more sacraments (daily Mass, time for confession), maybe some additional prayer time or a retreat, or great Catholic resources.
As some suggestions for Lent check out:
Dynamic Catholic’s Best Lent Ever – http://www.dynamiccatholic.com
Consider starting an on-line book club. In my corner of the world we have some reading The Saint Monica Club – How to Hope, Wait, and Pray for Your Fallen-Away Loved Ones by Maggie Green from https://www.sophiainstitute.com/
Others are giving https://www.tanbooks.com/ , Mary Magdalen in the Visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich a read.
Let’s head into the desert with Christ, taking only what we need and nothing that will slow us down or keep us distracted from our mission – to become more like Christ!
Not sure what you have planned for Lent, but be sure of our prayers that Lent 2020 gives you a new clarity. Think of it as gaining 20/20 vision on how much God loves you and your family.
Feel free to share what you and your family are planning as a source of ideas for others!
