Fasting
It is Saturday morning, the first Saturday of Lent. We made it through the new sprinkling of ashes rite. We started our Lenten prayers. Or maybe you are trying to fast. Or maybe you have decided to read the Bible a little each day. And now we are to day four. Day four can be a challenge just because it is Saturday. You do not have your regular work routine to keep you busy. The first three days you managed your time to say the promised prayers or read the promised parts of the Bible because you have a schedule, a routine. For most people, Saturday is not that structured. Perhaps you slept in and your new prayer time was two hours ago. Did you remember? Once out of our routine we tend to forget things, especially new objectives in our lives.
But this is Lent. You need to stop for a moment and ask why are you adding additional prayers? Why are you hoping to read more from the Bible? If you answered because it is Lent, you might not have the true objective in mind. Lent is not a time to give up something for forty days. That is called a diet.
Rather, it is a time to make a life change. If you want to read the Bible each day of Lent for fifteen minutes, then that habit should continue after Lent. It is a life changing objective. If you decided to pray the Rosary every day for Lent, then it should continue after Lent as well. Your prayer has changed your life.
Think of what you gave up for Lent. After Easter will you still be doing it or does it just cease on Easter. Was it a life changing event?
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen