Lenten Sacrifices
By Mike Lambrecht
Lent is an important time of year. It gives us a chance to join Jesus in the desert--a chance to take stock of where we are at spiritually. During this season, many of us will choose to give up something that we enjoy in order to unite ourselves more closely with Christ and to remind ourselves of the suffering that He endured for our sake. This is a wonderful, ancient, and grace filled tradition in the Church. One that I hope you will join me in this Lent.
The Catechism tells us that, “The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing.”1 In other words, Lent is the ideal season for voluntarily denying ourselves of things that we enjoy in order to bring about spiritual growth.
In our current culture, we often find that people are interested in instant self-gratification, not in voluntary self-denial. In many instances, we have lost the desire to unite our suffering to Christ’s. Our society views suffering as unpleasant and to be avoided at all costs. Yet the Church has never ceased in teaching us that “the way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis [self-denial] and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes.”2
Therefore, if we wish to grow in our spiritual lives, we must be willing to sacrifice earthly things. Jesus tells us, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”3 Let us take heed of these words and strive for an increase in holiness during this Lenten season. Let us remember the words of St. John Vianney who said, “When we must do something we dislike, let us say to God: ‘My God, I offer You this in honor of the moment when You died for me.’”4 If we do this, we will unite ourselves more closely to Christ and grow in holiness.
For this reason I urge you to practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving this Lent. We may choose to give up certain foods, others may give up watching TV, using the computer, playing videogames, or anything else that we enjoy in our daily lives. Some may choose to spend time reading the Bible everyday. Still others may choose to give of their time or money in support of worthy charities. Whatever the case may be, I hope that you have chosen to sacrifice something in your life for this penitential season. If you have not yet done so, it is never too late to take advantage of the graces of the season and to get started. For scripture tells us, “Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
1 Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph #1438
2 Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph #2015
3 Mark 8:34
4 Thigpen, Paul. A Dictionary of Quotes from the Saints. Ann Arbor: Charis Books, 2001.
5 2 Corinthians 6:2