By Christopher Lenart, a parishioner at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Naperville, who is posting once a month, every month, on this blog, writing about faith-related matters, To contact Christopher, email him at clenart@comcast.net. To learn more about him, go to his website: https://www.disabilityawareness.us/
Lent is coming soon, and it has been a long winter. Can’t we just jump to Easter and spring? It seems possible, so let’s just ask Pope Francis to drop Lent for this year. I am sure he would say yes.
I am just joking with you.
Easter without Lent would not be the same because we would not die to ourselves, and when Jesus resurrects on Easter Sunday, how will we be joyous? Like what my mom always said, “No pain, no gain.” Isn’t it true with everything that we do? If we don’t endure medical school and what comes after it, we will not become a doctor. It is the same thing with becoming a lawyer or even a baseball player. So why should it be different with preparing for Easter? It is not!
I guess we have to prepare for Lent. How do we do that? One way is to ask God what He wants us to do. I know it sounds funny, but if we just give up candy, and we don’t eat it often, we are not sacrificing much for the Lord. Now if you would say ice cream, for me, that would be a huge sacrifice. I eat it daily. Hey, I am slim, so I can eat it daily. What I am trying to say is that one person can give up something that truly affects them, and it might not affect another person the same way.
We also have to do something for the Lord. It might be praying more. I know it sounds weird because we should be praying daily. I know we are not. Like this morning, I woke up before my aide came. I wanted to pray, but my mind kept on wondering, so I could not say a single prayer. I know that you have the same trouble, but we have to keep trying. All of the saints had the same difficulty. But they never stopped trying. I think that is the key because after a few dry days of praying, we just give up. I know I do.
Most churches have the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent. It might be a good way of praying more. Naturally, there might be weeks where you are just saying words and other weeks you might feel really near to the Lord. Both outcomes are good because you are still praying.
A lot of churches have fish fries on Friday night during Lent. I think it might be a good way to serve other people and share your faith. It is a good way of showing your kids that church is not only for Sundays. These days kids need a good role model in their lives. Parents should be the first role models who show what a good Catholic is.
There are many things to do for Lent, so we better decide quickly because Lent starts on Wednesday.
Before I end this post, I want to say that my website, Disability Awareness, has a new website. It is mobile friendly. Please check it out here:
https://www.disabilityawareness.us/ Just remember that I am a public speaker, so I am looking for events to speak at. You can contact me on the website. So many people like these posts. My talks are the same thing — and funny. Looking forward in hearing from you.