Ash Wednesday

The three pillars of Lent are praying, fasting, and almsgiving.  Sounds simple, right? 

I struggle with prayer because I'd much rather be distracting myself with banal entertainment so I don't have to face the demands of God. Prayer also takes effort. I tell myself I will pray when I have some quiet time or when hubby goes to bed or when I am laying in be...ZZZzzzzz. Yeah, that never works. If I take the time to make a date with a friend, to make sure I meet them on time, to put my phone away when we are together, why don't I make this same effort for God?

I hate fasting. I don't eat three meals a day, I like to graze, so the whole notion of only eating at set times makes me uncomfortable. It's 9:25 pm on Ash Wednesday as I write this and all I can think about is eating a cookie. Or a piece of toast, I'll even skip the butter. OK, half a bowl of cereal with more milk than solids. It's usually a day I white knuckle through and I've been known to stay up to 12:01 AM to eat something before bed. But that defeats the purpose of fasting, of being in solidarity with those that cannot have anything, no matter what time of day it is. Fasting also helps our spiritual perception and discernment, and strengthens intercession. This is why the Holy Father has asked us to offer up our fasting and mortifications today for Ukraine. The Lord will act without our efforts but more grace will be poured on those that need it when we offer Him our little sacrifices. 

Almsgiving is pretty easy. Just write a cheque or e-transfer the money and presto, I did something good! I think a better way to do it is to have a jar on the table or counter and with each sacrifice put cash in the jar. Or at least use beans to represent dollars and then redeem the beans later. I like the idea of thinking about the person each time I am donating and praying for them as well, to be conscious of the big picture.

All that being said, don't tie yourself in knots trying to pray 10 rosaries a day, live on crusts of bread and water, and drain your pension fund to donate to charity. In all things there needs to be balance. God isn't trying to crush us, He is giving us this season so that we can return to Him and He can fill us with His goodness, mercy and love. 

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. ~ Isaiah 55