I am the love of a panda's life...
Anyhow.
Lent starts today. The panda and I are giving up soda. I guess it's a fairly typical item to give up; I hope that it's something common enough in my life that it gives me a lot of occasions to pause over the coming weeks.
It's hard to explain Lent to people. I got into an argument with a good friend (one of many Protestants in my life, hehe) about why it's necessary to have a "season" for growth and discipline instead of living life that way all the time. The best I can do is to offer the observation that when you do anything routinely and for a long enough period of time, it becomes exactly that - routine - and I really do think that there's some value in choosing a few weeks to concentrate on doing something a bit different, even if it's just for the sake of learning some self-discipline and experience something other than instant gratification all the time.
Last year was ironic. I got back into Pittsburgh from spending the weekend with the parentals and Tom in DC on a Sunday, and it was the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. I went to evening Mass, and the homily had been about finding something meaningful to give up, and taking Lent as a real season of sacrifice. I can remember sitting there thinking about the hardest thing to give up, and having it actually happen later that night. So, last Lent really was a season to learn about pain, and love, and growth, and figuring out how God fits into everything and what God actually does (and doesn't do) in a person's life.
This year I'm looking for something a bit less heavy-hearted. Kathryn and I were talking when she visited over Christmas about ways to find God in everday life. I think there are a lot of ways to approach it. In any case, I hope Lent at least helps me to take a few steps back and reexamine who I am and what my place in life really is.
I'm sitting here at a desk at 0530 with heavy eyelids, looking back about how much things have changed - how much I've changed - in the past year, and wondering what this coming year is going to bring. Meh. It's impossible to tell - and all that matters right now is that my A.I. homework is finally done, I have a graph theory test in 5 hours, and some 213 to finish (which would also require STARTING) by 23:59 tomorrow...one day at a time.
1 comment:
It's been my experience that Lenten sacrifices are not easily understood. Non-Catholic friends ask why God cares whether we eat meat on Fridays. Catholic friends joke about giving up cocaine (or something else that they never use). Why do we persist in the face of these challenges?
There are any number of answers to that question I suppose, but one immediately jumps to mind. I follow the Lenten sacrifices because they remind me of the discipline and self-denial that are necessary for leading a proper life. Practice discipline in small matters and it should be easier when greater and more perilous temptations find you.
Your argument in your post is a good one - doing something long enough establishes a routine. In this case it either fades into the background to be abandoned or else it becomes so natural that it ceases to require any significant thought. Self-improvement (whether for spiritual or other means) can not rely on a reflex. It must be a matter of constant effort and affirmative thought. I believe that failing to keep that struggle alive (becoming complacent) means that you've largely abandoned the effort at self-improvement. Even the saints were never that satisfied with themselves.
That's why we set aside a season each year to conscientiously renew our efforts, to keep them rigorous, not routine.
Good post... I appreciate the thought-provocation....
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