Friday, February 13, 2015

7 Quick Takes {Take 69} Lent lists are so much more fun when you make one with a friend edition...


Oohhh, it's the last Friday of Ordinary Time before Lent. How did *that* happen? It's a humbling thing as you get older how quickly time goes. And not as in "wow, how is January already over?" but rather "2005. That wasn't 10 years ago, 1995 was, can't you do math?!" Yes, DECADES are like the blink of an eye, let alone liturgical seasons, so let's make them count, shall we?

I spent a lot of time thinking about what I'd like to do for Lent this year. I chronicle my plans here not to be sanctimonious, but quite the opposite. I make plans because I frequently get all ambitious, and then I fail. A LOT. So the list helps keep me accountable and get me back on track when I inevitably fall off the wagon.

-1- My overall philosophy for Lent. This may be the most boring subheading I've ever written :0

I was having a difficult time coming up with a plan for Lent this year. Then I had a phone conversation with a friend, and she asked me what I thought of when I pondered Lent - giving something up, or something else? Boom! Starting point, right there. :) It's true, for the past several years I haven't given anything up for Lent. I've preferred to see it as a time set apart, a time to add things in, and generally focus on being more prayerful. I like that philosophy enough to continue it this year, so that's what I'm going to do. And the first thing on my list is...

-2- Marian Consecration

For the past two years, I've undertaken consecrating myself to Jesus through Mary via the 33 day reflection period originally put forth by St. Louis de Montfort. The first year that I did this, I used the book 33 Days to Morning Glory, by Fr. Michael Gaitley, and that's what I'm going to use again this year:


I usually embark on this at the very beginning of the year, starting in early January and consecrating on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes in mid-February, but with my little second honeymoon with Mike falling right at that time, I kind of forgot. ;-) So this year I decided to build it into Lent, and thus the prayers/reflections begin February 20th, with a consecration date of March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation. This is a beautiful undertaking, and I adore this book, so I've you've never done this before, consider joining in! The book is available for Amazon Prime shipping, and can be to you easily before the 20th. :)

-3- A daily rosary

I love praying the rosary, I really do. It's so soothing to me. I'll be honest: I don't always get through a full five mysteries. But I see it as a good thing even if I pray a mystery or two in the car each day. So, for Lent, I'm going to take that up a notch by really applying myself to start AND finish a rosary each day. I'm certain some days that won't happen, but I will do my best to apply myself and strive toward this goal.

-4- Magnificat Lenten Companion

These little books are always a joy each Advent and Lent:

http://www.amazon.com/2015-Magnificat-Lenten-Companion-ebook/dp/B00S8XPDYY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423847114&sr=8-1&keywords=magnificat+lenten+companion

I often get the print copies, but this year I forgot to order in time, so I downloaded the Kindle copy. For 99 cents, this is a steal. There are daily reflections, and this year, there are suggestions each day for small acts of charity or penance that you can try out. Excited. :)

-5- Sacrament of Reconciliation

I am *so bad* about availing myself of confession. I do go more than once per year, but seriously. I should do better. Lent is the perfect time to go, regardless of when I last went. So I will make it a priority to get there before Easter, and I downloaded the Confession app to make the Examination of Conscience easier. I used it last time I went to confession, and I really liked it. I do wish it kept track of when I last went to Confession, but I don't think it does that, at least the Android version. Anybody know if this is possible?

-6- Fasting

So, I'm not really a faster (sp?!) aside from the what the Church requests on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Since I have relatively little experience with this, I thought it would be nice to experiment a bit. I'm thinking that I will select a day every week or two to eat very lightly at lunch or dinner and not eat between meals at all. The point, of course, being to focus more on spiritual things rather than on food. We'll see how this goes.

-7- Friendship

And happily, I have my very own prayer partner to check in with and encourage me - YOU! :) I'm hoping that this is a fruitful Lent, leading up to a spectacular Easter. What are you doing for Lent this year? Let's help and encourage each other. Please detail in the comments!

OK everyone, I'm off! Work to finish, family to feed, and then dance rehearsal later. I will talk to you again on Monday, and in the meantime, don't forget to check out other 7 Quick Takes over at This Ain't the Lyceum!

2 comments:

  1. I find fasting makes me focus on food ten times as much, because all I can think about is how hungry I am! Just me?

    Sometimes I do a "plain day." Toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, simple dinner. Same number of calories as usual, but boring stuff which I've previously determined so that I don't have to think about it. That's kind of the closest I ever get to fasting. Back when I used to fast (before the five straight years of being dispensed from it) it tended to make me dizzy and miserable. I guess my body is not so good at going without food. :(

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    Replies
    1. Sheila, totally with you. I tried a bread and water day once a week in my early 20's, and...disaster. :) I got headaches, it was terrible. And I was so young! Now? No way. I can't skip meals, it just doesn't work. But I like your idea of a plain day. You still eat, but keep it to simple things. Thank you!

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