Joel 2:12-13 - “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. I was just wondering what folks are doing this Lent? I know its a private thing and most people maybe don't want to comment. But I did notice calls for people to do a bit more this time round and so this made me curious. I am going off alcohol (once again) which is I big deal for me as I love my home brew wine and drinking like crazy whilst camping. For others I know it would be a small thing. I don't like to do too much as quite honestly I know if I tried much more I simply would not follow through. I might try too to follow up on being stricter on fasting. But maybe not. I do have a sneaky feeling though that God wants us to try harder this Lent than usual though.; does anyone else have the same feeling?
I think I will go off poker too. Though Poker without a drink would be hopeless anyway. No poker, no drink. Sigh. This is getting grim and ugly.
Thank you for this thread. I, too, feel the pull to take Lenten practices more seriously this year . I think you do a lot, Padraig, to get to Mass so frequently. I want to make getting to Mass more often the focus of my Lent. I can’t say I’m going to do more because I don’t want to fail at it.
I am going to do the best I can to "fast" from my often rash and harsh judgments of others (especially within my family). I also am going to try to give up the "salty" language that I have gotten into a habit of (usually tied into the judgements and anger at people and events). And on the positive side, will be doing the 33-day Pathway to consecration to St Joseph by Fr, Calloway.
I've been caught in a Jesuitical loophole now for quite awhile.....(Is it ok to smoke while I pray? No, but you can pray while you smoke..) I had quit for 8 years & thought that was it. Started again in, believe it or not, 2013.....Stopped for a few weeks again this past summer; broke again when our country's parliament hosted a certain person from the WWII era.....They say a grace that's been squandered is gone forever, but I'm hopeful and going to take another stab at it for Lent. For every small victory, all praise to the Good Lord!!
I want to do the consecration to St Joseph too.iam just finishing St Louis de Monfort in time for Our Lady of Lourdes. Its funny. I've noticed an uptick in small harassment and its not even Lent. Last Friday I had a flat tire necessitating 4 new tires. Today my "power"recliner quit cold. I often sleep in it so this is hard. But the furniture store is coming to fix it Monday. Just little annoying things. PreLelent. I don't have much luck with Lent. Not to be trusted. I will do my best. Hoping for floods of graces.
My husband and I have also felt this pull to give Lent our all this year. I'll give up my usual sweets, but also coffee. And we plan to do the older norms of fasting and abstinence. We're practicing a bit during Septuagesima, working ourselves into it. What I'm most excited about is I will try my very best to pray 3 rosaries a day. I'm practicing now, finding the best ways and times to achieve this with these crazy kids. It seems no matter how quietly I slip away, they always find me within 10 seconds! Lol
I think being retired with all this time on my hands I would feel so guilty if I did not try to do more. I was kind of thinking of doing something Apostolic like joining the Legion of Mary. But I think before doing something like that we must feel God calling us to this. To have a specificvocation. I do feel called to prayer so I do try to buckle down to prayer.
I don't know why it is but as I get older I get crankier and crankier. But I console myself with the fact I don;t do anything with my crankiness. In fact often my cranky notions cause me to laugh out loud, which I take as a positive. Its not having the cranky thoughts that is a problem, I think, its what we do with them. I am reminded of Statler and Waldorf in Sesame Street.
The day after I came back home from Instanbul I threw my dog two frozen chicken legs to celebrate. I have often given him frozen chicken and sausages in the past with no harm done. However walking round the park he kept lying down and biting at himself, breathing heavily and whining. I managed to get him home and rang the vet who told me to bring him down at once. My heart sank a bad sign. He said the dog had gripe. Gave him an injection and told me to text him how he got on. The next day he seemed fine. The vet texted back that dogs die very suddenly from a condition when frozen food kinda blocks them down. The worst thing was it was my own fault. In a finny kinda way I think bad things that happen are good things that happen. They make us sit up and take notice. King Charles has cancer. But because he talks about it everybody sits up and takes notice of cancer and how to beat it. So out of something bad, something good.
My mother had ten children and went to a wise old priest for advise as she found no time for prayer. He told her, 'Your children are your prayer now'. From then on she said she quit worrying and did what she could. They are doing Adoration for Septuagesima in my Church. I might give an hour a go. It wouldn't kill me.
I had a very vivid dream the other night. I dreamt I was on a boat, standing in in the stern looking towards the coast somewhere in the Middle East. A Eastern Rite Bishop walked up to magnificently dressed on those wonderful vestments they wear crowned with those striking tulip shaped crowns and of course with a magnificent beard. He told me he wanted to introduce me to someone he wanted me to pray for. I found , in my dream myself following him though a foreign Eastern City and we stopped at the door of a house. The man who answered the door was delighted to see the Bishop and welcomed him with the great hospitality these folks always show to guests. But I was less than happy. The dream changed from colour to a kind of fusty awful black and white. The Bishop vanished and I could see this man was leading a profoundly immoral life. I can understand sexual sins and have sympathy for people caught up in them. But this guy was a homosexual whose entire life appeared to revolve around sex, morning, noon and night. He was less than happy and became angry , very, very angry at me for reproaching him for it. I will pray for him, but it seems such an uphill struggle. Still if this Bishop gave me the job there must be a reason even though it seems totally, totally hopeless. Sex is good, a great gift. But I can't see it as something so interesting and enjoyable as to be such a 24 hour a day be all and end all. How strange. He was very,very unhappy, poor man. So none of this is doing him any good. Anyway praying for him this Lent. Its nice to have someone to pray for, to aim for. I wonder who the Bishop was? Eastern Bishops look so wonderful in full robes. I LOVE those crowns the Bishops wear..
The visiting priest at Mass this morning told about one Lent he gave up smoking his pipe. He said by Holy Saturday his parish was begging him to smoke again. He was so cranky and awful that Lent. His advice: don't necessary give something up as perhaps take something on--daily Mass or holy hours or alms or volunteering.
I gave up coffee one Lent… my wife told me that Easter Sunday if I ever did it again, she push me off the highest mountain she could find. I think your pastor is wise Our pastor made a great suggestion as he told us to grab our mite boxes. He suggested every time a salty word comes out of our mouths, or that rotten thought comes to mind when the “other” driver does something dumb, or what et ever other judgement we makes, put a dollar in the box. It’s a type of small repentance and at end of Lent will help those less fortunate. I think I’m going to need a much bigger mire box. Happy Lent!
I don't think God minds us being cranky as such. Its when we act on it or dwell on them he is unhappy. My many, many cranky thoughts make me laugh very often. But that's all they are, thoughts.
I noticed a couple of things at Mass that caught my attention at Mass the last two times. Very unusual not a single candle lit on the two candleabras. So unusual. I am not a big candle lighter but it made me feel sad. I would just love to carry cash and have lit about 10 candles just for the sake of it.
