Happy Lent, y'all.
First of all, yesterday I posted at Two Catholic Girls a giant list of links to other bloggers who have/had great ideas for Lent. If you're still scrambling to decide on your Lenten penances, check it out here. (Don't worry, I'm sure Jesus procrastinated at some point in His life. Right?)
I really really love Lent. This morning at Ash Wednesday Mass with David, I was really happy. Not only because we got to go to Mass on a non-weekend, but because it was Lent.
And then in my head, I was like, well that's not really the emotion we're going for during Lent, is it? Happiness isn't really the goal of giving up your favorite things (TV, copious amounts of chocolate, your pillow, radio in the car, whatever it might be.) Most of the time giving those things up makes us suffer... Yes, it's a petty form of suffering but it still feels like real suffering. I know I'm never very happy looking at a pile of warm brownies when I've given up sweets for 40 days. [Grumpy. And angry at my taste buds, mostly.]
But at the homily, which was geared towards all the grade school-aged children, the priest reminded me (and everyone else, too) that the purpose of Lent is hope. Hope for Easter. Hope that Jesus will rise from the dead giving us the opportunity to live with Him, eternally in Heaven, forever, when our lives on earth are done.
And let's be honest, that's true happiness, isn't it? Definitely not the world's definition of happiness, but in light of eternity, it's real, honest-to-goodness happiness.
So then and there I decided I wasn't going to stop feeling that happiness I was feeling flooding through me. I'm sure in the next 40 days I will need to be reminded of this, as I always am. [I'm also thinking my pregnancy hormones aren't going to be super helpful for my self-control. We'll just have to see how that goes.]
I hope you all are having a blessed Lent so far. Know that I'll be gazing longingly at any and all sweets in the next 40 days with the best of 'em.
HG
I really really love Lent. This morning at Ash Wednesday Mass with David, I was really happy. Not only because we got to go to Mass on a non-weekend, but because it was Lent.
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| my ashes are there still - barely! |
But at the homily, which was geared towards all the grade school-aged children, the priest reminded me (and everyone else, too) that the purpose of Lent is hope. Hope for Easter. Hope that Jesus will rise from the dead giving us the opportunity to live with Him, eternally in Heaven, forever, when our lives on earth are done.
And let's be honest, that's true happiness, isn't it? Definitely not the world's definition of happiness, but in light of eternity, it's real, honest-to-goodness happiness.
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I hope you all are having a blessed Lent so far. Know that I'll be gazing longingly at any and all sweets in the next 40 days with the best of 'em.
HG
Thanks for sharing! I sadly won't be able to get to mass due to two sick babies, but your reminder to keep hoping is a good one, and probably more than I would have gotten out of the homily even if I did get to mass... babies at mass, gotta love em.
ReplyDeleteAmy