Lent 2023: time to get out of your own way!

Friends, we are mere hours away from the start of Lent, and I am joining John Morales and the Morning Air crew tomorrow morning to discuss my latest article, Prepare Your Heart for Lent, at 7:10 am eastern. Listen on your local station or open up a browser here.

What I hope to leave listeners with: Lent really is an invitation, not a challenge of personal growth, or even something to be feared or dreaded.

I read an interview with Fr. Mike Schmitz where he advises you choose a penance (if you even want to call it that) that matches YOU - not just a random hard thing to do. He says:

I am a big fan of choosing penances of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that are less arbitrary and more intrinsic to each person's life. What I mean by this is: We often choose a penance based on how “difficult” it seems or on the kind of challenge that it might pose to us.

If a penance seems like it is serious enough (but maybe not too serious), then we might choose it. But often, our penances are not necessarily connected to what we absolutely need. When considering prayer, we can ask: “In what way do I need to grow closer to the Lord?” When considering fasting, we can ask: “What do I need to get rid of in order to be more free to love and serve the Lord?” And when considering almsgiving, we can ask: “Where do I believe that I am called to give or serve?”

This is good advice! And, not only that, you may not even need to “give up” something - you may need to maintain or even add something. That keeps us from becoming vain over weight loss or competitive goals.

So, what are you giving up for Lent? Or, what are you adding? Listen in tomorrow morning for some inspiration, and may you have a truly blessed, fruitful, and introspective Lenten season. Remember - Easter is on the other side!