Lent Has Arrived

Today is Ash Wednesday; Lent has arrived. Are you ready? I think sometimes that all this preparing of ourselves for Lent is a bit silly. We decide on what to read, what penance to take on, a new virtue or habit to cultivate all int eh hope that we grow closer not only to Go d but closer to the person he calls us to be in our life.

It’s sometimes silly to me because God will give us the Lent we need and when we need it. Some years Lent feels very perfunctory, I don’t feel as if I’ve carried out my plans with any success, and my Lent comes between Easter and Pentecost or the middle of the summer. Sometimes I make no plans at all for Lent because it has been one of the seasons where life feels like Lent and all I can do is take care of what is in front of me. Easter dawns and I realize I had a great Lent without any planning on my part.

This year I’ve made some plans. A book to ponder with friends, giving up some things, more Masses, less yelling while driving but I also know to be prepared for what God has in store for me. He may decide my plans are not his though I’ve tried to carefully discern what I think I need. God knows better and so I need to leave room for his overriding of my plans.

Ultimately, that is the walk we choose when we follow Christ. Somehow we need to overcome self to trust in his plan for us. I pray that all of us have a holy Lent and are led by him who knows us better than we know ourselves.

What are your plans for Lent? Leave a comment if you care to share.