How is it going?

  Lent can be hard, but at times Lent can be easy.  Lent can be easy for two reasons: either we enjoy giving to Jesus or we are not giving much.  If we are not giving much, we should not be discouraged.  There is no time like the present to make a change.  If we wait until next Lent, we are just trying to push it to tomorrow.  If anything, this moment would be the best moment to make a change, because this is the moment we have before us.

   It should be easy to give to Jesus.  However, sin complicates things.  Before sin, it was easy.  And sure we may have wiped away the stain of Original Sin from our souls in baptism and been absolved of our sins in confession, we still have the effects of sin.  We have been forgiven, but it did not undo our past actions.  It should be easy to give to God, but it is not.

   It may not be easy to give to Jesus, but we can make it easier by focusing on what we are doing as a loving gift to the One who loves us.  If we focus on who we are giving the gift to, it gets easier to give.  As a parent, I know that it is much easier to do jobs around the house when I see them as gifts to my wife and children.  If I just see them as tasks that need to get done, I do them almost with a sense of anger.  So too do we look at our sacrifices.  We could get mad that someone brought free chocolate to work when we gave it up or we can joyfully look to Jesus on the Cross and say, “I give this up for You!”

Jesus, You gave up so much for love of us.  Help us to give up our little sacrifices for love of You.