I love coffee. Every morning I need it to fuel. I think this dependency began when I started working in an office setting. As I walked my dog early Sunday morning, I was thinking that before RCIA class I would make my usual stop at Starbucks before heading to the parish. I was also thinking that Lent begins this week and the popular Catholic thought this time of year, "what will I be giving up," was begging me for an answer. I arrived to class a bit early and while setting up my friend reminded me that it’s time for the CRS Rice Bowl Lenten collection, which we annually encourage our students to do as an attempt to give them an example opportunity for a charitable practice. That's when I had a eureka moment and decided that this year I would lead by example and give up coffee using the money I save to donate to my CRS Rice Bowl. Such a small financial change for me will enable four families to three months of clean water, supply a farmer with two years of seeds, and provide a family with a one month supply of food. What it will do to me physically won't be as positive, but this is the time to teach my soul that it’s more powerful than my body (smile).
In the Catholic faith we have prayers that are popular during specific times of the year, during Lent one of my favorite forms is extremely favored: the Stations of the Cross. Thus, I decided that for my Lenten practice I will spend some time daily praying the Via Crucis and on Friday join my local parish to pray them in community. In RCIA we have this tradition of taking our students to the beach and setting up the way of the cross to pray interactively while the sun sets. We usually do this activity on Good Friday and do not pray the last station, but give them the night to meditate letting them know that the next day when they celebrate their sacraments we will be living the station of the resurrection. It's quite a moving experience, one of my favorites each year.
This year I would also like to attend a reenactment of the passion, which is very much part of our Mexican culture. Here I must share that when I was a child in my pueblo we had very realistic portrayals every year that drew the entire town to the plaza. I couldn’t handle the gruesomeness of the Via Crucis; thus, as an adult I have never attended one. This year I am hoping that after praying with him daily, I will be able to join my RCIA team in attending our annual Way of the Cross Reenactment for my first time since I left Michoacรกn. Am not sure if you ever feel your Spirit inclined to a certain form or type of prayer recently I have been craving very intimately to accompany Christ on his was to the cross.
Also, this Lent I want to continue my forty days of Thank You notes for priests, deacons and religious. Last year it was such a great experience that I am thinking this will become a Lenten tradition. All those times that I told myself I would send a note to thank my priest (but I later forgot), well this is the time I bring to mind all those wonderful blessings and show my appreciation. Now I did share how many thank you back replies I received from the many I sent; but, I assure you that my thank you's are not driven by selfish motives (smile). I am really looking forward to this new season and the new practices combined with some of my old ones in opening my life more to God and His will.
My Home Altar: Paschal Candle, anointing oil, rosary, prayer guides, journal, images of Jesus,
cross of nails, flowers and my rice bowl.
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