We are encouraged to take Lent seriously. For many of us, it’s time to go on a theologically-sanctioned diet. We give up different kinds of things, and hopefully, will shed a few pounds in the process.
But, we may want to give up some time during Lent to help someone else. Or, re-focus our time on getting closer to God, The Loving Programmer We might want to explore the idea that He is brilliant enough to have programmed all the galaxies and set them spinning, just to provide people with the biggest telescopes the freedom to see how colossally powerful He is.
Lent is a good time to re-read the Bible. Most of us could read through it in 40 days if we put our minds to it. If that was too much, we could easily read either one of the Testaments.
We can begin by obeying. Tomorrow is a Holy Day of Obligation. We should go to Mass and have the ashes from last year’s Palm Sunday’s burned palms put on our foreheads.
Once, working in New York City over a few days that spanned Ash Wednesday, it was absolutely startling to see how many people had ashes on their heads as they went to and from work.
