Lenten sacrifice

Friday, Feb. 13, 2015

It’s Lent. Again. Which means that once more I have to figure out an appropriate Lenten sacrifice. 

I’ll participate in CRS’ Rice Bowl, but that’s just giving up a few dollars every week – the cost of the meal I normally would have on Friday compared to the simple meatless one I will have. Maybe I’ll even do what I did last year and give up going out to lunch a couple times a week to donate the money to CRS, which does such amazing work to ease suffering in 100 countries around the world. 

Getting back to my own imminent self-imposed suffering, according to Bishop Wester (and many others, but his is my most recent reminder, see page 1) I’m supposed to do something that will lead me to empty myself so that Christ can enter me. While giving up food does hollow out my belly, I don’t think it makes room for Christ.

Creating such a space is more difficult than it sounds. It seems that from when I get out of bed in the morning until my head hits the pillow at night, I’m distracted by worldly cares. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and talking to people about this, and the consensus is that I need to spend time with God.

Setting aside time for personal prayer is an option, but to be honest, I tend to forget, or say “I’ll do that later,” then never do. For me a formal event, like Mass, is better.

Speaking of the Mass, the Catholic Church considers the Eucharist “the source and summit of the Christian life.” 

Hmm. Maybe for Lent I should attend daily Mass. How much better could a Lenten sacrifice be than to go to the summit while doing it?  

It’s not like getting there will be a huge inconvenience. I work just across from the Cathedral of the Madeleine, which has 8 a.m. and 5:15 Masses each weekday, so I could go either before or after work. Except not on Mondays and Tuesdays. Those days are extremely busy. With our publication deadline, I’m usually working before 8 a.m. and still at my desk after 5 p.m. And maybe not Thursdays, either, because if I work during the evenings or on the weekend – which happens pretty often – then I don’t come into the office on Thursday.

That leaves daily Mass on Wednesdays and Fridays, which seems like a pretty good Lenten sacrifice. Maybe it doesn’t sound like much, but for me it’s a significant “giving up” of time, and yet a goal I think I can accomplish.

I have to say, though, that sometimes on Wednesdays I sleep in, because if we’re late getting the paper out on Tuesday I take a bit of extra time coming into the office the next morning. But Fridays – usually Fridays are days when I work normal hours. Except if I’m going out on Friday night, then that probably won’t work. But I don’t do that every week.

So, it’s decided. For Lent this year I’m going to daily Mass, except when I can’t make it. I’m not too worried about the occasional lapses I’ll have. God doubtless will understand and overlook them; he knows I’m human, after all. Still, with much extra time at Mass, by Easter there’s no doubt I’ll have a stronger relationship with him. Surely, the sacrifice I’ll be making will make me worthy of such a reward.