Halfway Through Lent!

Colleen Mallette encourages persistence in sticking to your Lenten resolutions, but not beating yourself up when you slip.

Today marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Holy Easter. How are you doing with your Lenten resolutions? Do you feel closer to God, or feel that you haven’t quite lived up to the goals like you hoped?

Most likely, none of us have stuck to our resolutions 100% since Ash Wednesday. Temptation is powerful and we are weak human beings who like to be comfortable and struggle with willpower. However, the good news is that God is pleased with our desire and efforts, no matter how well we stick to them.

This brings to mind the well-known hymn “Ashes” by Tom Conry, that we sang on Ash Wednesday:

We started our lives from nothing, God created each of us to be unique, wonderful creatures. At the end of our lives, we take nothing with us and return to the dust of the world.

Yet in between we have an opportunity to know, love and serve our God, our Creator, in thanksgiving for our lives. Every day is a chance to show God our gratitude by loving and worshiping Him by loving and helping those around us. Lent especially is a wonderful time to reflect on these great gifts of our Loving Father and strive to serve Him better.

As we say in the liturgy before receiving Communion, “we are not worthy.” We are all sinful people who fail constantly to speak and act as Jesus would. Even during Lent when we are trying harder to increase in virtue and eliminate bad habits, we often fail and lack willpower.

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God expects this and still loves us. He loves repentant hearts and any efforts we make to love better. As the song says, “We offer our attempts” because we aren’t perfect and slip up frequently. But then it says, “You raise us up … nurture our growth … and create our world anew” just from what little we do offer up for Him. God turns our efforts into beautiful acts of love.

Our little sacrifices can never amount to what Jesus suffered for us, and we can never repay God for all His blessings. But continue to try, because He loves that we are doing that much.

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Every day is a chance to show God our gratitude by loving and worshiping Him by loving and helping those around us. #CatholicMom

At this halfway point of the forty days of Lent, bolster your will, review your original resolutions and seek ways to strive to finish strong in resisting temptation and showing love to God and others!

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