If you, like me, are a procrastinator, you’re probably still trying to figure out exactly what you can do for Lent even though Ash Wednesday is already here. If you’re looking for a simple yet effective way of being mindful of the season and acting on your faith, it is not too late to get on board with a great Lenten tradition: Catholic Relief Services’ annual CRS Rice Bowl program.
Growing up Catholic in the 1970s, I remember the older women in our parish staying after Mass and praying before the Stations of the Cross. They would walk silently and slowly, stopping to pray at each of the 14 depictions of Jesus' final hours. I learned to think of the stations in the same way I thought of the rosary: They were for old people, a throwback to a pre-Vatican II time, and they held no meaning for me.
In "Don't be crude," I suggested that those of us in developed nations have an addiction to oil. To overcome this addiction, we might learn from the 12-step programmes that help other addicts: realizing our powerlessness over the problem; seeking a higher power to help overcome our weakness; and taking things “a day at a time” meaning that we should consider how our daily choices have consequences for a warming planet.
This year’s Lenten Season has special significance for me. For the first time in my lifetime, Easter will fall on my birthday.
I am used to having April 24 to myself. Sharing the date this year gives me a singular opportunity to spend the weeks beforehand interweaving my physical life-journey with my Lenten spirituality
So how can that play out?
I spent a few weeks wondering what to give up for Lent. I wanted it to be something that really did make me think and recall Jesus’ teachings.
I shy away from many popular spiritual movements, which seem to come and go like feathers in the breeze. But Celtic spirituality is not one of these. Celtic spirituality is solid and deeply rooted in a spiritual heritage. I have been deeply drawn to Celtic spirituality with its creation-centered orientation. It has been a "coming home" for me because I have always felt a strong bond with creation.
I was doing dishes in the kitchen last week when my son Jacob came in and started unloading the dishwasher. While generally dishwasher unloading is a job that belongs to the kids, I had not yet asked anyone to empty it.
“Who are you, and what have you done with Jacob?” I said to him. Jacob smiled—he knew what I meant. While I would never describe Jacob as lazy, he usually needs to be reminded to do his jobs around the house.
“Is this a new and improved version of Jacob?” I continued. “I like it.”
I've had some friends ask me what the value of fasting is: Why give something up instead of "doing" something, or helping someone in need?
I'm not sure those things are mutually exclusive, but I do think there's something valuable in just "giving up," too, in just fasting. For me that's going to be meat this Lent. And, no, that doesn't mean I'm going to be eating lobster everyday!
Have you lost track of Lent in recent years? Has it lost substance and grit? Here are a few ideas you might consider to help you get more traction along your spiritual path.
When you listed to some older Catholics talk about the spirituality that formed them, you hear a lot about a harsh, demanding, and rather unforgiving God, a moral taskmaster brooding over the slightest offense, a Father wearing a perpetual frown.
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