First Friday in the First Full Week in Lent – Fantastic or Flop?

Today is the First Friday of the month as well as the only First Friday (other than Good Friday) that we will have this year.

My first full week of Lenten practice has been up and down. For example, based on a suggestion from Mother Angelica years ago, I am limiting myself to only drinking water in the afternoon. But on my very busy Wednesday I forgot and popped open a can of Diet Coke when I got home from co-op. My daughter also brought me a drink from McDonald’s when she came home from school – it would be rude to not take it, right? There were a couple of other food items that I forgot about, which just reminds me how automatic some of my eating habits are!

I’ve also struggled with prayer time. I love to listen to audio books while I walk my dog. Do I listen to Scott Hahn? or do I listen to my book on World War I because I’m teaching that next week? I opted to do both, which meant a slightly longer walk for my poor dog and a feeling that I gave neither narration my full attention.

But I did make it to mass this morning and the first reading sang to my heart.

From Ezekiel 18:21-28

 ‘If the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live; he will not die. All the sins he committed will be forgotten from then on; he shall live because of the integrity he has practiced.”

I am not perfect. I am a sinner. If I were perfect, I would not need Lent.

The thing to remember I think is that this is a process and a journey. We learn from our mistakes and go forward. This scripture passages tells us that it is what we do going forward that counts. We have to keep plowing forward.

I’m going to make a big push to get a lot of lesson planning done today so that I can be more present in my prayer and devotional life. I’ve banned temptations from the kitchen and kept myself out of there unless I’m working.

So how has your first full week of Lent gone? Are you ready to keep going?