Lenten Observance

The season of Lent begins Wednesday. This year, I'm taking time off work to attend Mass Wednesday morning and receive ashes. The reason I'm doing this is because of all the turmoil that I've gone through in the past year and how developing a closer relationship with my Lord has seen me through the worst of it. It's about living my life differently and making public acknowledgement of my relationship with Christ. While I've been a believer most of my adult life, this represents a shift in direction for me. 


My current struggle is what to 'give up' for Lent. This decision was easy when I was a kid. Mom imposed whatever she was foregoing. We were denied by default. A much simpler time. Now that I'm an adult, the choices are numerous. Nativity has several suggestions from Rice Bowls to attending Generations of Faith. My temptation is to fall back on the childhood favorite of giving up sweets, but that would be too easy... Even the title of this post, 'observance', I want to do more than 'observe' Lent this year. And for the first time in years, I don't think I'll have any trouble remembering to abstain from meat on Fridays. This year is different.


I know a lot of people are critical of the Catholic Church for the pomp and circumstance that they apply to everything. Some say, to the exclusion of scripture. I disagree. Maybe it is because I was raised in the church, I find the ceremonies and rituals comforting. I have tried more than a few denominations: baptist, evangelical, lutheran, Church of Christ, to name a few. But each time I came back to the church and just felt so 'right'. We could probably do more in the area of scriptural study, but the church has come a long way since Vatican II. For years I said I was Catholic but not practicing. I guess I'm 'practicing' now...


Lent is the preparation for the promise of Easter. This year, it has new meaning for me.