Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Lent

Ash Wednesday being today, I was very disappointed to see that NO CHURCHES were open in Chateauguay. I know that I had written about this before, but I figured that since today is pretty important, there would be at least one place opened during the late afternoon where I could light a candle without the need for public transportation.

I've been perusing websites for ideas on how to further my experience of Lent, and from them with previous experiences and understandings, Lent can be observed through three main things: praying, fasting, and giving. This online magazine has been especially helpful for good ideas on how to observe Lent in original ways, focusing on involving children as well. Here is what I am going to do:

Praying: I am going to really push myself to pray at night. Saying the 'Our Father' will root me, and it calms me like nothing else. I have never been to confession in my life, and I will try to go at least once. I noticed OLPH has confession from 4:00 to 4:30, so I could just head over after school. How wonderful would it be to have confession, and finally be able to recive communion in a Sunday morning mass?

Fasting: I will be fasting from facebook 4 days out 7, will have one screen-free day a week (no TV/computer/etc), and will only be reading books that are religious in nature (I will be re-reading this, but also keeping in mind that I need to read my textbook for exams. Im sure God doesnt want me to observe Lent by failing.) I will of course be observing meatless Fridays, and also be drinking only water 5 out of the 7 days of the week.

Giving: I will be making mass marmelade and dropping jars off at the nursing home and Anna - Laberge Hospital and make sure to give blood once. I have other ideas but am not sure if I will be able to do them, because of time/schedule constraints.

I will also be reading Psalms, as it seems to be reccommended by many sites! Any other reccomendations would be welcome (Amy, Im looking at you!)



'It is not repentance that saves me; repentance is the sign that I realise what God has done in Christ Jesus.'  

-  Oswald Chambers

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful sketch, just lovely :-) ~ Leesa Tea

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  2. Eek Blogger just ate my comment, argg!!

    In a nutshell:
    Pace yourself with Lenten devotions - it's so easy, no matter how long you've been a Catholic, to bite off more than you can chew, then crash and get depressed about it. To me your regimen sounds good, realistic, and balanced. IF you want some more ideas for occasional devotions, to slip in when you have the time and inclination, you could pray the Stations of the Cross, skip desserts, read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or a book about the Pascal Mystery, such as Sacrfice and Community (M. Levering), or Salvifici Doloris (On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering, Pope JPII)... If an encyclical or apostolic letter is up your alley, but don't want that one, some other favourites of mine include Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth, JPII), Dominus Ieuses (On the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church, by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), Orientale Lumen (The Light of the East - perfect for you, being Greek Orthodox technically - JPII), Familiaris Concortio (The Christian Family - JPII), Dies Domini (On Keeping the Lord's Day Holy, JPII), Humanae Vitae (On the Regulation of Birth, Paul VI)... all available online... Casti Conubi (sp? Don't have it in hand) is also very good, I believe it's Pius XII, on Christian marriage... If you need other ideas let me know!

    And yes, always check the schedules. Never assume. Even on Easter, most small town churches are not open all day.
    As a side note I believe OLPH has confession only on Saturdays - you may have realized that already, but you don't mention it in your post.
    This is actually my five-year anniversary of going to confession at OLPH, the day of the St Pat's day parade, my first-ever genuine confession! Pretty exciting! :)

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