Ash Wednesday is coming up fast, and I have to confess
something. The internet has introduced me to a bunch of people who use each
Lent to grow as Catholics, but I fear I am not one of those people. I try. I
do, I try. But the truth is I hate Lent. I don’t LIKE to make sacrifices and
think about my sins. And as for fasting… well let me say that Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday are the only two days when I miss being pregnant, because pregnant
women aren’t supposed to fast.
A few years ago I tried to come up with something more
creative to give up for Lent than the usual chocolate or cookies, something
that would help me get closer to God. I’ve had years and years of practice in
giving up sweets and I honestly don’t think I get that much out of it anymore.
My first idea was to give up all fiction with the idea that I’d read spiritual
books instead. And I did not read a scrap of fiction for those six weeks!
However, I mostly used my fiction-reading time to watch more TV. Not exactly in
the spirit of things. Last year I theoretically gave up checking Twitter in the
evenings. I think I may have stuck to that, but I also may have been a bit
fluid on my definition of “evening.”
But what can I do but continue to try? This year, I am going
to do the fiction/spiritual reading thing again. I think the key to success on
this front is to find spiritual books that aren’t too terribly dense, or I may
find myself once again surfing the internet and watching TV instead of reading.
I already bought The Sinner’s Guide to
Natural Family Planning on the recommendation of Miriel and Susie, The Shadow of his Wings on the
recommendation of Jennifer at Conversion Diary, and I plan to buy Jennifer’s
own book as well. If you have anything to suggest, I would love to hear it. I
have read appallingly few books of this type, so suggest anything, even if you
think it’s something I must have read by now.
What are your Lenten plans? Do you give things up? Does doing so help you grow in your faith?
