Today marks the beginning of Lent, a season of fasting, reflection and preparation for the death and resurrection of Christ. Here's a brief explanation from catholic.org:
Lent is about conversion, turning our lives more completely over to Christ and his way of life. That always involves giving up sin in some form. The goal is not just to abstain from sin for the duration of Lent but to root sin out of our lives forever. Conversion means leaving behind an old way of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ. For catechumens, Lent is a period intended to bring their initial conversion to completion.Being brought up in a baptist/protestant tradition, we didn't celebrate lent. I didn't really know what it was until my late teens. Now I see it as a valuable exercise in examining one's life and removing or giving up things that prevent us from knowing Christ more fully... giving up a worldly habit and instead using that time to focus on Christ. Easier said than done, but still a useful practice, any time of year.
So what will I give up this year? Useless TV viewing and Internet usage. (some TV is useful... can we say UEFA Champions League Soccer?). That should save me at least an hour or so each day... more time to reflect, read, pray. Draw near. Lent.
What will you give up?
1 comment:
Thou shalt not give up Uefa Champions League football, nor Formula 1 auto racing, nor cycling spectacles, nor the two to three fingers of scotch.
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