Another Year, Another Lent

Good morning! (or good whatever time you happen to read this specific post)

Valentines Day is over, President's Day basically didn't exist because since we had four snow days last week the Provost decided to re-institute school today, and now the season of Lent is starting on Wednesday. Most of you know that I am not Catholic, but going to a Jesuit institution has shown me that there are so many amazing practices and understandings of faith that are practiced in Catholicism. Lent is one of those practices that, even before I came to Georgetown, I decided to adopt into my spiritual life.

For me, Lent is a time to choose something that has become more important to me than God and takes time away from growing in my relationship with Him. I take Lent as a time to recenter and refocus my life on the Lord by removing all the noise around me. Although this is not everyone's interpretation of the time of Lent, that is how I practice it. Also it is easy during Lent to get stuck in attitudes of self-appraisal or being prideful in this practice, so this year especially I am going to focus on the passage in Matthew 6 where Jesus speaks of what not to do when praying and fasting:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you...When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Please be praying that I don't take time to delight in the sacrifices that I am making but in the sacrifices God has made for me! So I won't see you on Facebook anymore, but hopefully I will keep up with my blogging throughout the next few months!

Peace, Mackensey