Depending on how you experience prayer, fasting and alms-giving, you likely have a certain disposition towards or even against the season of Lent.
I get a kick out of some of the Catholic branding around Lent. A “Lent for Men” website reminded me of a Delta Force movie, replacing AK-47 machine guns with cold showers for 40 days.
A popular priest on social media, known for his strong views, wrote this on Twitter, “Christmas and Easter are for wimps. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday separates the boys from the men.”
Really? While he’s likely putting on a social media shtick for clicks, I’m not sure his take-the-hill attitude is all that helpful
Let me explain why:
1. Most Catholics have become extremely soft. Our sense of fasting is beige at best and many of us rarely experience hunger. This I concede to the priest. But… keep reading for point #2.
2. If we had better catechesis in our parishes related to Lent, we would do far more than simply “give up” things like chocolate or social media. My own parish, as much as I love it, is woefully inept when it comes to helping Catholics reflect deeply on the meaning of Lent and the Paschal Mystery. A flyer with Lenten programs isn’t exactly high-level formation for most people. That brings me to point #3.
3. Sprinting during Lent has value but is worthless if habits don’t stick after Lent. This is, I think, the biggest critique I have of a “go big or go home” Lenten vibe. Anyone can sprint. It’s habit changing that moves the needle on holiness and habits take time to develop.
Should we give up things for Lent? Of course. Should that be the only thing we do? Absolutely not.
For me, I’m keeping it very simple this year. I’m not seeking out any news, political or athletic. As a Boston sports fan whose basketball team is in 1st place, this is actually very hard for me. If some bit of news happens to get to me, say from a friend sharing a story, that’s fine. Otherwise, I am allergic to CNN and Fox for the remainder of Lent.
So far, it’s been a delight. If Maine just ran out of maple syrup, I’d have no idea. The President just said something off the teleprompter? No clue.
The other component of my Lent is to pray for the “celebrity Catholics” (like the good priest mentioned above). From time to time, I can give in to jealousy and find that praying for them by name is an excellent antidote to my pettiness. So far, so good.
How about you? What are you doing this Lent to either give something up or do something new? My advice: find what works for you and stick with it, for 40 days and beyond. Oh and if something big is happening in the world that you think I should know about, drop me a line.
-Mike
I get a kick out of some of the Catholic branding around Lent. A “Lent for Men” website reminded me of a Delta Force movie, replacing AK-47 machine guns with cold showers for 40 days.
A popular priest on social media, known for his strong views, wrote this on Twitter, “Christmas and Easter are for wimps. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday separates the boys from the men.”
Really? While he’s likely putting on a social media shtick for clicks, I’m not sure his take-the-hill attitude is all that helpful
Let me explain why:
1. Most Catholics have become extremely soft. Our sense of fasting is beige at best and many of us rarely experience hunger. This I concede to the priest. But… keep reading for point #2.
2. If we had better catechesis in our parishes related to Lent, we would do far more than simply “give up” things like chocolate or social media. My own parish, as much as I love it, is woefully inept when it comes to helping Catholics reflect deeply on the meaning of Lent and the Paschal Mystery. A flyer with Lenten programs isn’t exactly high-level formation for most people. That brings me to point #3.
3. Sprinting during Lent has value but is worthless if habits don’t stick after Lent. This is, I think, the biggest critique I have of a “go big or go home” Lenten vibe. Anyone can sprint. It’s habit changing that moves the needle on holiness and habits take time to develop.
Should we give up things for Lent? Of course. Should that be the only thing we do? Absolutely not.
For me, I’m keeping it very simple this year. I’m not seeking out any news, political or athletic. As a Boston sports fan whose basketball team is in 1st place, this is actually very hard for me. If some bit of news happens to get to me, say from a friend sharing a story, that’s fine. Otherwise, I am allergic to CNN and Fox for the remainder of Lent.
So far, it’s been a delight. If Maine just ran out of maple syrup, I’d have no idea. The President just said something off the teleprompter? No clue.
The other component of my Lent is to pray for the “celebrity Catholics” (like the good priest mentioned above). From time to time, I can give in to jealousy and find that praying for them by name is an excellent antidote to my pettiness. So far, so good.
How about you? What are you doing this Lent to either give something up or do something new? My advice: find what works for you and stick with it, for 40 days and beyond. Oh and if something big is happening in the world that you think I should know about, drop me a line.
-Mike