Many of us sacrifice like the little girl who, after hearing a Lenten sermon on sacrifice, decided to give up something for this special religious season. Her mother said “you know, it should be something that you really like.” The little girl thought for a moment and then said, with a twinkle in her eye, “Well, Mom, I guess it will have to be Sunday School, ‘cause I like that better than anything else.”
With the start of this Lenten season, what are we going to give up? There are many loop holes to this practice, which many of us use. If you are over 65 or not yet confirmed, you do not have to do this. Also, if you count the days between today, and the start of the Triduum, there are more then 40 days. The reason for this is that Sundays do not count in Lent. Sunday is the day of rest, so whatever you give up for Lent, you can have on Sundays.
I wish I would have known all of this when I could have taken advantage of it, alas, I have been confirmed, and 65 is a long way off. I read something on Shrove Tuesday, this year. If he reads this, he will know it is from him. Jesus didn’t leave the desert on Sundays to have candy. Does it seem fair to give up something for 6 days? Is that really that heard. Jesus spent 40 days, in a desert, preparing for the coming of the trials of Good Friday, and the Joy of Easter. In this period of Lent, can we sacrifice, just a little bit, to get us right. Maybe you don’t give something up. Maybe you try praying. That Rosary is pretty, but it does have a use. Don’t know how to pray? Ask God to help you. Guess what? You just prayed.
Listen for Gods voice, meditate, volunteer, feed the hungry, donate to a charity, read to a sick person, visit the elderly, write a letter to the troops, or God forbid, even go to church. Remember, “Anything that you did for the lesser of my children, you did for me.” You never know, you may just feel a little bit better, at the end of this Lenten season.
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