Lent Day 8.

Week 1 of Lent, I felt led to focus on just one central aspect of “doing” Lent in preparation for Easter’s-Celebration-Dance.
The first facet was prayer (as you know, if you’ve been following)…

Another stop along the Lenten Road takes me to this undesirable place called “fasting.”

Here was the invitation:

Normally, for most people who seriously celebrate Lent, the fast begins on Ash Wednesday.

In a traditional sense, fasting during Lent is the most critical practice.
As a kid, I normally fasted from chocolate.
I could still have desserts.
I could still eat candy.
I could still have a milkshake with my burger.
I just simply had to change the flavor.

I was sincere about giving up chocolate………………………………………………………….for about a week……
Maybe.


Sigh.

A few years ago, I began a new Lenten fast.
I gave up giving up.
I fasted from fasting.
I thought that was pretty clever.
Instead, I began adding something new to my spiritual disciplines.
For example, one year I added the practice of “examen” as Ignatius of Loyola taught.

The Prayer of Examen been a vital, regular practice in my spiritual deepening.

This year, I thought “adding” a better understanding of “why-Lent” seemed a perfect idea.
Until that research led me back to this one fact:

One can’t truly “lent” without a fast (that’s right, Lent is now a verb).

So, while I come to the idea of fasting, a week late.
It must become central to the spiritual preparation.

Fasting cannot be apart from Lent.
Indeed, it must be a part!

So, as I continue praying throughout Lent, I will start seeking God on what one thing distracts me from my relationship with Him the most…
What do I seem to love so much it takes away from time with Him (a key to Lenten-fasts!!!!!)?

For this is the purpose of a Lenten-fast: to draw me nearer to Jesus.

XXXX

If you’re interested in adding a Prayer of Examen as a part of your Lenten-prayer-life, here is a brief explanation of what and how:

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