I'm back to blogging again

I have not posted in this blog for 3 years, I'm a little surprised its still here! Not sure any one's ever read anything but maybe someone has been reading off and on in the past. Well, I'm back to try again.

We are once again in the season of Lent. What a wonderful contemplative time Lent is. Its still winter here in Georgia, its cold, the trees are bare, the grass is brown. But under this apparent dead world is the promise of Spring! So it is in Lent. Its a time to prepare to remember the Passion of the Our Lord and then to celebrate His resurrection with joy! Hidden in this serious time of reflection on our lives and time of considering "I am I pleasing my Lord" is the knowledge that Jesus rose from the dead to free all of us from sin and death forever! Now that brings a smile to my face and great joy to my heart and spirit!... That is the season of Lent.

As part of my personal Lenten habits is to read "The Little Black Book" that our parish provides every year. Its a great booklet that has daily devotionals to encourage your journey through Lent. I also read the "Magnificat" publication, another Catholic devotional book which is packed with wonderful prayers and scripture readings. This year I've struggled to decide "what to give up for Lent" the great Catholic tradition. As I prayed about it nothing came to mind, so now 10 days into Lent, as I was reminded by the little black book, I thought, good grief what's wrong with me why can't I figure this out this year. Even before I joined the Catholic church I celebrated Lent by giving something up until Easter. Then suddenly while reading about Jonah today I realized the whole point! We should give up sin! Yes its that simple and that hard, sin is what we should give up. Now I can't imagine being able to stop sinning altogether, only Jesus could do that! Then I realized if I could just stop doing one sin that God shows me, that would please Him immensely! If we give up one sin a year and continue to do so through the year then year by year we will be doing as Christ said, to become more and more like Him. We'll never be sin-free, but we can at least work on areas God shows us at times such as Lent.

God bless you as you too celebrate all that Lent has to offer  you!