It’s the 3rd Sunday in Lent. Do you know where your resolutions are?
As always at this point in my Lenten journey, I find myself thinking that the past two and a half weeks have been much too easy. Too middle of the road. Too…Ordinary Time.
I feel like the kid in the picture below.
As in, asleep on the job.
In need of a pick-me-up.
And hoping—praying, really—that I can give the rest of this Lent all I’ve got. I am hoping, for example, that I can go one step further in my day-to-day mortifications. Could I put off that snack for half an hour, even though I’m hungry now? And for goodness sake, can I stop making excuses to myself and to God about why I “need” that cream in my coffee? (Yes, I’ve been cheating. I am just that weak and pathetic.)
I’m also hoping that I can spend at least fifteen minutes in prayer each morning, and by that I’m not talking merely a hurried recitation of the prayers in my Magnificat but also, a careful consideration of the daily Mass readings.
We can’t go wrong in contemplating the daily readings. Really, we can’t.
In other news, today was a scattered Mass day. John and Joe were working at the annual Boy Scouts’ pancake breakfast and had to attend a different service. Jem, Cate and Felicity were singing in the choir.
That left Angela and me in the pew.
She took up half of it with her antics.
Because we had to get there early so that the choir kids could practice, I had packed an abundance of picture books for her perusal. What I forgot to pack was a prayer book for the momma. Spying a copy of In Conversation with God
“It’s the Lenten volume,” he whispered, handing it over.
“Perfect,” was my reply.
And I snatched it up.
I don’t know if it was the words of today’s meditation or the sight of the Blessed Sacrament exposed on the altar or both, but suddenly it all made sense to me. “The salvation of humanity culminates on the cross,” I read. “It is on the Cross that the soul finds its full identification with Christ. This is the deepest meaning of acts of mortification and penance.”
I get it.
I totally get it.
The question is, can I do it?
All for the greater glory of God, especially when it’s a challenge,
I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, only because I love you so much, but I think you are way too hard on yourself with the whole eating issue. You are a very pregnant mommy, and maybe it’s just my opinion (and maybe I should keep it that way), but when you are pregnant, if you’re hungry for a snack, you should have a snack, even if you just had one an hour ago. 🙂 I just think that that might be less of what God wants from you and more of what you want from you….I’m sorry if I’m out of line, but I see you mention it a lot on your posts. I read a great passage in a book today about St. Therese written by a Carmelite: “I have often told people who come to me for spiritual direction to never make it a goal to conquer their faults. Simply to ask for the grace to resist the temptation of the moment. Take it for granted that you will always have tendencies toward certain sins and self-destructive behaviors, which will always be opportunities to grow in virtue and rely on the grace of God….’Working on yourself’ can be an insidious maks of self-hate, for it make you feel that there is something wrong with you until you are ‘healed'”.
Again, please slap me if I was out of line! I struggle with a lot of the same things you discuss, and I know these types of insights have helped a lot.
Love you. 🙂
There is no fun, Margaret, if there’s no challenge connected to it. I have a feeling that you’ll come out the other side of Lent a better version of yourself. That book – I saw it on your side bar every time I came here and I started wanting that book – I did not get a copy until two weeks into Lent. I caught up pretty quick, but EACH reading was something else! Powerful.
You have my prayers.
I need to regroup with Lent too.
But I also agree with Jen.
You sound a bit harsh on yourself.
Peace to you- Minn. Mom.
i’m in the exact same place right now… feeling like I need to amp it up and not totally staying committed to my Lenten promises!
I’m sorry I haven’t been commenting much… I feel rude visiting and not doing so! I read your blog every morning with joy!
Margaret, Please be gentle with yourself. You need that cream in your coffee, and it’s low carb too, which is great for you!! : )
I’m over here, wide awake, sleepy (is there such a thing?) because I had a good dose of Irish coffee after our corned beef and cabbage dinner. I love Sunday’s in Lent! 🙂
So feeling it ~ with you and for you. But, your ending thought is a perfect pick-me-up. It’s funny how well He answers that question when we ask it: How can I love you better?
Blessings, Margaret. Hug that newest wee one (or just pat your belly)for all of us?
Mortification makes for a more fruitful crucifixion. At that point there is nothing that can be taken from us because whatever is demanded, we give freely. We mortify our flesh that it might learn obedience by those things suffered. And so an individual’s question is not whether to engage in sacrifice and mortification, but how to participate in it. Nothing is too little when offered as an act of love for the Beloved One.
Hi Minnesota Mom,
I happened across your blog today, and I just wanted to say that I love it! You have a beautiful family, and kudos for homeschooling! I am a homeschool graduate, and my parents are still homeschooling the littler ones.
God bless you and your family!
-MJ