Lent
It’s never too late to enter fully into Lent Guest Columnist Father Paul Birdsall
I hate lent. Wait … What? How could you, a priest, say such a thing? Lent is a sacred time in which we Catholics journey with Christ through the desert until we arrive at his passion and glorious resurrection. Allow me to clarify myself. I love the potential graces one can receive during Lent. I love that Lent provides a clear designated time to increase one’s spirituality. I love the fruits that come from fasting, sacrifice, and increased prayer life. And I love the fact that all Catholics are unified in increasing holiness during the Lenten season. However, what I hate about Lent is the inevitable reality that midway through I know I will face extraordinary temptation, bitterness toward fasting and sacrifice, and a guilty desire to quit all matter of personal goals and Lenten promises. If you are like me, Lent is fine and dandy for the first couple of weeks: Good choices, solid prayer, a little pain (the good kind); but come the halfway point? Forget it! All I want is for Lent to end. What seemed like small sacrifices feel like impossible hurdles; prayer is all but repetitive and stale; and Easter
can’t come fast enough. If this fits your description, I have a secret to tell you … Welcome to the club!!! Before you despair and toss in the towel midway through this Lenten season, let me first offer you some words of encouragement: 1) You are not alone. Remember that Jesus Christ himself was tempted in the desert as well while he was tired, hungry and thirsty. 2) It’s never too late; one can enter fully into Lent at any point (beginning or end) and still achieve a greater holiness and deeper relationship with Christ. 3) You can do it! It may take some adjustments, but trust me if I can, you can. There are typically three scenarios that lead to a declining Lenten experience: 1) Doing nothing (may seem obvious, but you have to start somewhere). 2) Choosing the wrong penance or biting off more than you can chew (it’s the Lenten season, not self-destruction season). 3) No direction (this includes both spiritual direction, but also the direction of personal goal setting and intercession), a.k.a., what are you Lenting for? Allow me to address these three scenarios with you with a few tips I’ve picked up over the years in my own spiritual journey and deepening appreciation of Lent. 1) Doing nothing. Are you in the same boat again? We are halfway through Lent and you still haven’t made any choices to enter into the Lenten season? Might as well wait until next year, too late now, right? Wrong!!! It’s
never too late to hop on the Lent wagon and receive some special graces and deepen your relationship with Christ. Need some inspiration? What about the good thief crucified next to Jesus? Was it too late for him to repent and be welcomed into paradise by Christ? It was pretty last minute, but not too late. Lent is not just a sad floppy Filet-OFish from McDonalds on Fridays, it’s so much more. Lent is about PSI (not air in tires) Prayer, Sacrifice and Intercession. Start by setting some small goals for yourself; perhaps add 10 minutes a day to personal prayer, maybe fast for one extra meal a week, or intercede for a sick friend or family member. The absolute best place, however, to start on the right path is by making a good confession. I can’t tell you how important it is to receive God’s forgiveness prior to entering into a fruitful Lent, dare I say almost impossible to enter a fruitful Lent without first being in a state of grace. These small steps can make transitioning into Lent easy and fruitful. Be motivated, last minute or not, because we all want to end up like the good thief. 2) Choosing the wrong penance or penances. Every year around Mardi Gras I play in my mind a list of things I can give up for Lent: Sweets, sodas, hot water, snooze button, coffee, condiments, fast food, etc.; the list goes on and on. While all of these things are luxuries and fine examples of things I can give up, I often temporarily
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Keith Kellum, M.D. Nano Zeringue, M.D. Jody Simon, M.D. Janie Tran, O.D. 446 Corporate Dr., Houma, LA 70360 | Fax: (985) 868-4190 | Email: tlevron@southerneyeinst.com 900 Canal Blvd., Suite 3, Thibodaux, LA 70301 | Fax: 985-448-1276 | Email: tlevron@southerneyeinst.com 30 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • March 2021
