Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash
EMBRACING FAMILY
Wouldn’t it be nice if Lent “zoomed” by this year? Forty days seems like an eternity when we are sacrificing! We’ve had 12 months of waiting and praying thanks to COVID-19! Isn’t that enough?!
For those around the world who live a life of constant suffering, they would be grateful if they only had 40 more days of sacrifice! Imagine if a family suffering from hunger knew that after 40 days, they would have food. Imagine if someone who is houseless knew that they would have housing in 40 days. Imagine if someone in constant pain knew that they only needed to hang in there another 40 days. They would welcome those 40 days with gratitude.
Perspective is everything.
How can we have a Lent with pandemic-inspired gratitude?
PRAYING – COVID-Style:
- Receive the sacraments more frequently.
- Invite a friend(s) to pray with you (on the phone, via Zoom, even via text).
- Pray as a family (for the ill or the millions worldwide who have died of COVID; for the effectiveness of the vaccines; for health and economic recovery).
- Join an online Lenten group (for example “The Bible in a Year” podcast with Father Mike Schmitz).
- Reach out to those who are in hospitals or care facilities or those who are marginalized. Lift them up in prayer, and let them know that you are praying for them.
FASTING – COVID-Style:
- Sure, we can all fast from the “extras” such as desserts but how about:
- Fasting from social media (or decreasing it to x-minutes a week)?
- Fasting from political divisiveness and judgment?
- Fasting from negativity in word and action?
- Fasting from convenience and choosing to wear a mask out of respect for Jesus, present in those I meet?
ALMSGIVING – COVID-Style:
- Supporting a local food bank by donating food, bagging it, and helping distribute it.
- Volunteering with local organizations (parish, school, Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, or even civic organizations such as Family Promise, Rotary Clubs, or 808 Cleanup).
- Donating to causes that are near and dear to our families.
- Repurposing our old cell phones and electronic devices by donating them to shelters, care homes, and mental health centers that are trying to help those they serve to remain connected to others.
PRAY with pandemic-inspired gratitude: If we know people who have died, thank you, God, for the lives they led. If we are healthy, thank you, God; help us to serve. If we are ill, thank you, God, that we are alive; help us discern your will. If we are employed, thank you, God, for the ability to work. If we are unemployed, thank you, God for the opportunity to depend on you more than ever and to humbly allow others to share their Aloha with us.
FAST with pandemic-inspired gratitude: If we can “give up” something for Lent, that means that we are blessed to have that item in the first place. Let’s be grateful. What we have, we are called to share. We can distribute food/drink to the houseless who are nearby and get to know their names, their story. They fast every day, not just during Lent.
GIVE with pandemic-inspired gratitude: If we have hands that can move, let them reach out to those in need. If we have a voice, let us speak on behalf of those in our community who have little voice (the abused, the abandoned, the lonely, the mentally ill, the elderly/infirmed). If we have money, let’s share it with those who struggle to feed their family or keep their utilities on. If we can love, let us love those who feel unloved and unwanted. Whether it is time, talent, or treasure, GIVE with pandemic-inspired gratitude.
If we have a Lent with pandemic-inspired gratitude, it will “zoom” by and be over before we know it! Perspective is everything. If we focus on the needs of those around us rather than on ourselves, we will find ourselves asking how 40 days went so quickly. We may even surprise ourselves and willingly choose to continue this journey long after the Lenten season comes to a close.
We’d love to hear from you, Herald readers. After reading, “Zooming through Lent,” how will you PRAY, FAST, and GIVE with pandemic-inspired gratitude? If you have questions you would like addressed in “Embracing Family,” please email them to Sarah and David at Success@EmbraceFamilyLearning.com. We would be honored to lift you up in prayer and respond, as well! If desired, you may remain anonymous.
