Repent and Believe in the Gospel

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent and it’s a very important day for us Catholics. When the priest makes the sign of the cross with ashes on our forehead, we are then obligated to reflect on our lives and to try to change what is in the way of our relationship with our Lord.

In the beginning of Lent, it is important to go to Confession to try to do better and to look deeply into our own hearts, to get rid of our bad habits and work on our weak points. We all know our own weak points and it’s important to take baby steps to work on them. Through experience I know that taking one bad habit or weak point and to work on it is better than taking more than one, which leads to stress and non-lasting change in the long run.

Some bad habits we may have to work on:

♥ Lateness
♥ Aggression
♥ Lack of Patience
♥ Selfishness
♥ Various Addictions: phone, internet, TV, video games, pornography, gambling, alcohol, etc.

This year, I’m personally working on patience. I sometimes lack patience when dealing with my daughter and grandkids. I also, need to practice patience when I’m talking to others who are elderly. Other times I need to practice patience when praying and not receiving answers in the time frame that I would like. Patience is even necessary to finish our daily tasks such as cleaning at home. I know I sometimes become impatient while cleaning, because I want my home to be clean already, can anybody relate? Patience is necessary in many situations in life and I know I need to work on this area in my life, especially as I get older.

It is also good practice to give up something that brings us pleasure such as:

♥ Eating sweets
♥ Drinking coffee
♥ Alcohol
♥ Sex
♥ Going out
♥ Electronics, etc.

If it’s possible, we should attend daily Mass or go on days that we are able to, in addition to Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation. During Lent, we should either attend the Stations of the Cross at church or pray them at home. In addition we should pray more often, quiet ourselves, share our time and talents with others who are in need of it. Lastly, during this time in Lent, we should look more often to the cross and think about how Jesus really loves us because he gave up his life for us.

I wish you an extraordinary Lenten experience,

Dana