Let's Get Excited for Lent!

It's that time of year again! Lent begins tomorrow! I always have big plans to have a fulfilling and getting-closer-to-God kind of Lent. I usually always have the same plans for Advent as well, but usually fall short (OK...I usually have an epic fail...) of my goals.

In high school I always gave up pop. Caffeine was an essential part of my day... I was a busy teenager! Giving up pop was very difficult, but after a few years it became fairly pain-free.

When I had my reversion back to the Catholic Church I decided to really challenge myself in what I gave up for Lent. I gave up meat completely, not just on Friday's. That was a huge sacrifice for me because I am definitely a meat and potatoes kind of gal. I didn't complain too much, because the man I was dating gave up his mattress for Lent!

The past couple years I've given up cussing, and if I did cuss I was supposed to put a dollar in a jar (I know, I know...I shouldn't be cussing anyway!) Another year instead of giving something up, I've added the practice of praying a rosary everyday. Both of those fell into the epic fail category and I didn't have a very good Lent.

So what am I giving up this year? I am not going to use salt and pepper on my food. My brother, mom, and I have this bad habit of putting salt and pepper on pretty much everything. However, I put a little more salt and pepper on my food than my family. My husband always suggests to me, "Why don't you taste your food before you pour on the salt and pepper?" But I know that I will end up wanting some, so I ignore him. One day I decided I would not use salt and pepper and it was honestly very difficult. I know giving up salt and pepper for Lent may seem trivial to some, but this is truly a sacrifice for me!

Some may ask the questions- Why do I have to give up something for Lent? What's wrong with enjoying life? What the heck does my salvation have to do with not eating meat on Friday's? I have asked these questions more than once.

What is it that helps us out during the tough times in life and helps us get closer to God? One answer is making ourselves spiritually strong. To get this strength we can't just sit there and expect it all to happen, we must have an active role in this "spiritual strength training." Too many of us are spiritually flabby and are too lazy to get going for the Lord! Thank the Lord he helps us out...it's just a matter of accepting that help. Think about wanting to lose weight. We're not going to lose weight by sitting there wishing away the pounds. We need to get up and do something.

I used to be one who would saying "I'm a Christian and I love Jesus." But I never went to Church, never picked up a Bible, never bothered learning more about Christ's teachings and willingly sinned A LOT. (Matthew 7:21-23 really opened my eyes...)I am definitely guilty of being a spiritually chubby child of God. Since my spiritual growth spurt during these past couple of years I've taken a closer look at some of these Lenten practices.

Let's say I give up chocolate for Lent. Every time I see a big, gooey, mouth-watering, whipped, creamy piece of chocolate cake (insert Homer Simpson drool noise here...) my first thought is "I WANT!!!" But then I think, "No, I can't have that because of Lent." Lent...oh yeah, the time leading up to Good Friday- the day Christ made His ultimate sacrifice by dying an agonizing death to give each and everyone of us salvation and to be a child of God. Victory over death. Promise of eternal happiness. Wow, suddenly giving up this piece of chocolate doesn't seem that hard. So every time I am going crazy over a piece of chocolate my mind and soul will then be directed towards Christ. That could be a little spiritual exercise to get me more in spiritual shape!

Lots of things besides Lent are like exercises. Just look at the Mass. Genuflecting, sign of the cross, bowing, kneeling, standing (good ol' Catholic aerobics) tapping the chest, kneeling again, standing again, lighting candles, gazing off at a stained glass window at a saint with a bunch of arrows in him and wondering "what the....?" It seems all SO mundane, boring, trivial...maybe even pointless? But look closer-- they all direct us towards God. If we take an active role during church, or even during our spiritual life, these things will make more sense and truly help us in the long run.

So the next time we complain about having to sit through Mass, give up sweets, or stare in pure jealousy at our friend who is eating a juicy steak on a Lenten Friday, let's remember the GOOD we are doing. It's only helping us! I'll paraphrase a line from the movie Dogma (I know, I know...most of the movie is pure blasphemy, but there are some interesting points if you really want to see them...) "You people don't celebrate your faith, you mourn it." Let's start celebrating people!