What I'm Not Doing For Lent


This Lent I'm trying something new: I'm not giving up anything. Every year since I was like 7, I've always given up something for Lent, whether it be my Nintendo, sweets, etc. One year in 4th grade I tried giving up homework but my mom and Sister Joan were adamant on why I couldn't do that. In the past few years, not only have I given up but I've added: more prayer, read scripture, the rosary, exercise, go to daily mass, etc. 

Each year, a few days into my list of Lenten sacrifices and add-on's, I find myself failing at most of the things that I've committed to and I've also realized that these are things I should be doing anyway. So this year I have a new plan: as a husband, father, missionary and Christian I have things that I'm already committed to (waking up at the first ring of my alarm, daily prayer for my family and with my wife, daily holy hours, mass, Liturgy of the Hours,  etc.) and I would be lying if I said that I do those things well all the time. So for Lent this year I'm working on what I should already be doing. What sense does it make to add more to my list if I'm not doing what I should already be doing? What's the point of praying the 7 penitential psalms if I'm not praying with my wife, etc. 

This Lent I'm actually giving up a lot: my lack of discipline, which keeps me from doing what I already should be doing. I usually get annoyed and frustrated with Lent but this year I'm feeling a little bit better. 

Bring on Lent!

Paul

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How a Missionary Family Spends a Month in America

Image
Since moving to Haiti in October 2012, we've never travelled to the U.S. for just a break. Our trips have always had a purpose: Nathaniel's surgeries as a baby, speaking engagements or other work to gain support for the mission, Thérèse's birth, weddings, a funeral, etc. So though this trip has a vacation scheduled into it, here's a peek at what a missionary family does their first time in the U.S. after 7 months. April 16: Fly to ATL April 17-19: Long overdue marriage retreat in ATL April 19-21: Life Teen missionary end-of-year retreat at Life Teen's Camp Covecrest in GA April 21-23: Life Teen bi-annual staff & missionary retreat at Life Teen's Camp Hidden Lake, also in GA April 23-26:  4 doctor's appointments and catching up with dear friends at Covecrest, including Nathaniel's Godparents April 26-May: 1 First family vacation (since our honeymoon) in North Carolina, thanks to a generous mission partner May 1-May 4: Driving to an...
Read more

To the guy who killed my brother

Image
To the guy who killed my brother, Murderer! Is not who you are and deep down inside I truly believe that you are afraid, in shock, confused and on a rollercoaster of emotions. Your actions have my family feeling the same and so much more. We are angry, heartbroken, distraught. Some of us are in a place of despair, frustrated and feeling as if we've been dealt a bad hand. To you, I'll call you guy, I pray and hope that you have befriended my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Never before have I felt such heartache and pain. It's as if my heart is being crushed. My older brother wasn't perfect and none of us are. But he spent a good part of his life putting others before himself. He was a son, a little brother, a big brother, the "world's best uncle", a friend and so much more. Most importantly Erwins was a child of God. Therefore he is not only good but the first chapter of Genesis ensures us that he was created very good. Guy, the same goes for ...
Read more

Moms, Mary knows

It was perfect timing. Today at Palm Sunday Mass I was the narrator in the Passion narrative. While I was reading, a few of the Haitian missionary kiddos that live at our mission base had given Nathaniel their palms that they had tied in the shape of circles. As I got to the part of the story of Jesus’ suffering where the soldiers made a crown of thorns and pushed it into Jesus’ head, I noticed that Nathaniel was trying to get Paul to put the “crown of palms” around his head.  I choked on my words as I struggled to read the narrative and immediately thought about our beautiful Mother Mary. I wanted to stop for a minute and sob, but I had to keep going. Yes, Jesus suffered and died for us and experienced an unbearable amount of pain. Mary suffered in a different way, though. She watched the closest person to her get publicly mocked, flogged, and ultimately crucified.  Nathaniel and Thérèse currently have nasty coughs and during the night I feel like crying when I hear th...
Read more