Pages

Monday, March 19, 2012

A day in the life

So how's Lent working out for you?  I think I've failed just about every promise up to this point.  From curbing my video game time (total failure) to new purchases of such (mostly successful) to Facebook fasting (I only checked notifications, I swear) this Lent has been particularly bad.

My best excuse is allergies.  And oh boy have they been terrible.  It was a mild winter here in Texas and so plant life is, er, "vibrant."  Ended up leaving work early on Thursday and just have been sleepwalking last two weeks.  And since my brain is the first thing to go when allergies hit the only thing I can seem to do is play video games.  Which means my wife is right, video games don't require any brain power.

In the win column, I've managed to not buy Mass Effect 3, and that has been torture.  I've been winning that battle thus far.  I did download some content for its prequel, but I missed that before I hunkered down for the "drought" of Lent so I figured that didn't count (stupid conscience, it doesn't count, now shut up).

I also attempted to start doing the Office of the Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours.  This started out well but collapsed in week 3.  Clearly there needs to be a correction.

Lent is not just about giving up something, but confronting the things that keep us from God.  This Lent in particular has revealed:
  • I need serious work in my life
  • I am way too weak to do the work
  • God needs to do the heavy lifting
But that is what Lent is for.  This time of penitence is not just to do the usual "giving up something."  The Church calls us to take a hard look at the things that keep us from God.  The things that rule us rather than the other way around.  Lent is a time for re-conversion.

At Easter, those who have been going through the RICA process will be received into the Church.  They have gone through their own conversion process. As the community, we go through our own conversion again as we try to draw closer to Him before Easter.

Conversion is a full contact sport. If you don't feel bruised, beaten, and a little frustrated with yourself, maybe you aren't doing it right.  Jacob wrestled with God.  But in conversion we wrestle with ourselves and our nature as we try to reform our will to His will.  It's a lifetime journey.  Lent is simply "Hell week" for 40 days of intensive training.  It's ultimately good for you.

And now back to work, as I do my best to avoid Mass Effect 3 articles.  Happy Lent!

No comments: