Eve of Ash Wednesday, 2012...

I'M SO EXCITED.

I know it seems odd to be so giggly and excited about a penitential season of fasting and sacrifice, but there you have it.

I LOVE Lent. I really do.

I love the opportunity for personal reflection and trying to better myself spiritually and toward my fellow man. I love being cognizant of what I'm eating and what day it is per fasting and abstinence so as to develop more self-discipline. I love increasing my spiritual practices and experimenting with new prayer routines. I love how Lent begins in the heart of winter and ends in the spring with a sweep of fresh renewal.

It's totally, totally wonderful.

So, what am I going to be doing this Lent? I've been thinking about this a lot. I'm not going to "give something up" for Lent this year, aside from following the Church's guidelines on abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays (I'm also not going to fast since I'm a nursing mother). I'd like to "add something in" and just generally be more prayerful this Lent.

Thus, I'm going to do only spiritual reading. It can be fiction, but Catholic fiction. Mostly non-fiction. And I'll feature what I read on this blog. As well, the big thing that I'd like to do is establish a daily prayer routine aside from the quick chaplet or few decades of the rosary that I pray each day in the car.

My resolve is that I'm going to pray either the Liturgy of the Hours each day, or the daily devotions as put forth in the Magnificat, since I have the volume for March and that's a good opportunity to also see if I'd like to pick back up a subscription. I know that the Magnificat prayers are not the official prayer of the Church the way the Liturgy of the Hours is, but it's still a very nice structure for private prayer. This will also prove a good opportunity to compare the two and see if the Magnificat is more manageable for me to pray everyday.

I'm also going to make time for confession (once) and Eucharistic adoration (at least twice) as well.

So, that's my Lent. Tomorrow, I'm going to be home with the kids, and I'm planning to haul all 3 of us to our parish to get ashes. I'd love to make it to 8 am Mass, but I may end up going to the 4 pm distribution of ashes with scripture service. With both children in tow, I may need something shorter so that I'll live through the experience.

Super excited. :)