I know. Who says that, right? Who anticipates and counts down the days until Lent?
This girl. Namely 'cause I don't want to get in trouble with my spiritual director ( like when I showed up a couple times for Advent unprepared...) and I also was a girl scout. I like to BE PREPARED. That's just the kinda girl I am ;)
I overpack (because you never know what fashion mood you'll be in or what shoes you'll need!) and I make lists and color-coded piles of folders for work, school, etc. (In a COMPLETELY NON- OCD WAY, mind you). It's just what I do.
But winter makes me LAZY. And so I am anticipating the discipline of Lent. 'Cause I need it!
I've already started to think of some possibilities for my Lenten observance/sacrifice (over-achiever. I KNOW). I definitely need to get back into my routine of Daily Mass. That's just a must. I also haven't done a food fast in a while and I've been meaning to do one....
I also thought of kind of a cool idea- if I do say so myself and I do- of picking a saint to make this journey of Lent with.
It's amazing how much spiritual reading HELPS me in my spiritual life. I can be totally off track and then I read something from Therese of Lisieux or The Sanctifier and I want to run to confession and spend an hour in prayer.
So I think I might pick a saint to talk to/read about throughout Lent. Possibly the Blessed Mother or one of the Teresas I am reading about now.
While I am pretty disciplined and kind of crave it in my life right now, while I was praying this morning and reflecting on a passage Father had spoken about on retreat- John 21 where Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him 3 x- this verse struck me:
"Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." (John 21:12)
RANDOM. I know, right? I'm not even kidding. And it wasn't 'cause I was hungry (though I did immediately go to Trader Joe's afterwards 'cause I had a hankering for the Three Layer Hummus which I am convinced has some kind of nicotine or crack in it because it is SO ADDICTIVE, but that is neither here nor there....) but because my translation said:
"Come, break your fast".
That's not very Lenten, is it? Now, the Bible I was reading was obviously not the New American Bible translation...but I don't think the translation I was reading was way off. We know Jesus often encouraged his disciples to break or examine the rules as they knew them. Not for lack of discipline, but to challenge them and have them examine why they really were doing things.
And so while I wait for the discipline of Lent- as always- I will try to balance with the attitude of the resurrected Jesus. 'Cause we can forget that we are supposed to be a people of rejoicing and feasts!
Feast days are something the Church used to do so well (and still does in certain parts of the world). Let's balance the discipline and desert of Lent with the feast of all the good things we have in our lives and days to come.
Is that okay that I'm entering into Lent already eyeing the Resurrection that comes after it? Meh...doesn't matter what.
So for all you under-achievers...LENT IS COMING! Get on it ;)
Peace,
Julia
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