I work in a small office. I'm giving up gossip for Lent. It's crazy difficult.

I also use the Liturgy of the Hours. The book "Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers" has an excellent few pages on setting up and blessing a special place for prayer during the Lenten season. If you don't own the book, you can find it on Google Books and flip right on down to the pages on Lent.

Fr. Jim gave a homily last Sunday about Lent being the time we use to get rid of the bad habits and bring in the good. In order to become the Christians we are meant to be.

It was really good for me to hear. I realized I need to get back on track with my spiritual life as much as with my physical.

It was really good for me to hear. I realized I need to get back on track with my spiritual life as much as with my physical.

Love this!

the concept of 'giving up' lost its appeal years ago... I never thought abstaining made me a better person. It kept me aware of the spiritual realm but I'm always kinda there. a true change for me would be, as I said before, a conscious effort to do something different, i.e. cleaning my house

I believe that a big part of the graces we obtained through abstention are not for ourselves but for the “Mystical body of Christ”. If you don’t need the graces then you are the very person that can to the most good for the body. The graces you obtain through your abstention can and will be used to help another member of the Body of Christ thus improving the health of the whole.

For Lent this year I'm obstaining from two things:

1. Frivolous spending - I don't need to buy things just because I have a little extra money. My fiancè and I are planning our wedding and the extra $20 here or $10 there can add up fast.

2. Smartphone overuse - I bought my first Smartphone in December and I ALWAYS on in (well except while teaching). It's gotten so when Chris and I are home at night after both of us have had long days of teaching and then rehearsals, we'll sit down and it's like he's competing for my attention against the phone. Now, the phone is around, but I won't pick it up at night unless someone calls (I don't have a land line), or if something in a conversation triggers an email I was suppose to send or a message I should check. But at that point I will actually ask him if it's ok. If not, I will wait until he's upstairs documenting his food on MFP and then do my work.

I've also added something:

I've created a prayer journal that I started writing in last night. I find that Chris is always good at saying a prayer to God outloud, but sometimes I struggle for "the right words". I pray in silence and since I can get more thoughts out when I write, I felt this was the best way to go. I thoroughly enjoyed it last night and in asking for some guidance on a decision that I was having a major inner struggle with, I felt peace about what the right choice is. God listens, he is good!

The journal isn't necessarily just for me, I've offered the idea to Chris and I think he would like to give it a try as well. We'll see how it works throughout Lent. Perhaps we will have added something to strengthen our faith that we'll do year round.

[ If you don’t need the graces then you are the very person that can to the most good for the body. ]
.

i don't think I said I didn't need grace, I said abstaining from certain foods wasn't helping me be closer to God.

I read something recently that went into the why we do the things we do not just at lent but in our spiritual/religious life. It mentioned something along the likes that it loses its meaning if we aren't doing it out of love for God and to have a deeper more meaningful relationship with God...could this be what's missing? Most often I find that when I abstain or add prayer or whatever it may be I am even happier and more joyful because I do it out of love which of course makes it more meaningful to me. Maybe you haven't found the right things that add that meaning for you.

I have been doing the Liturgy of the Hours this lent. It is great that it is online.

http://www.universalis.com/

Just click on the time of day in the left column and you get the prayers.

I have been doing the Liturgy of the Hours this lent. It is great that it is online.

http://www.universalis.com/

Just click on the time of day in the left column and you get the prayers.

Oh thank you Beth!