Catholic – Page 4 – Margery Frisch

Journeying on through Lent

I’m trying to love more. Don’t laugh…and don’t think it’s easy! When Jesus said, it’s easy to love our friends and family, but we must love our enemies too, therein lies the difficulty. Actually, it’s not always that easy to love the ones we love!

So, if we make this one of our Lenten disciplines, how do we begin? It seems a daunting task, but really it’s pretty straightforward – LOVE – that’s all we have to do…but whom and how? Begin with a simple smile. Just smiling at people will make them feel good and it will do wonders for your well-being too. Before my sister died, I told my husband I thought she was pushing herself… to sound happy…to sound well. ‘What’s wrong with that?’ he said, ‘Ultimately, she’ll convince her body of it too.’ And you know, there’s truth in that. She did convince her body, for a very long time. You can do it too. Even on an off day, if you smile enough, your body will give up and give in – you’ll actually begin to feel better.

When you’ve gotten the hang of smiling at people – add a kind word. It’s surprising how kind words are win/win. You can make such a difference in someone’s day by complimenting them. The change in their demeanor is instantaneous, and that feeling spills over and comes back to you.

Sometimes our love can be shown with silence, perhaps a hug. Helping someone through a tragic loss is difficult. Often we have no words. That’s ok, a warm embrace speaks volumes.

When we begin simply, it’s not an insurmountable task. Just one small act of kindness at a time can change the world…eventually. So let’s begin each day asking ourselves how we can make someone’s day a little brighter. By the time Easter arrives, we’ll have a true grasp of the numerous ways we can show our love for one another

Lenten Journey

Lenten Journey

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving can seem daunting to us as we begin our 40 days of Lent. And how does it feel right about now? Have you lost sight of your original intentions? Last year, a priest friend suggested we ‘give things up mindfully, not mindlessly.’ Those words continue to guide my Lenten journey and I’ve attempted to change things up a bit from my usual routine of ‘giving things up.’.

Prayer, for me, is the easy part. “Pray without ceasing,” St. Paul instructs us in 1 Thessalonians. Perhaps it is because I love solitude that I find this an easy practice. While driving my lengthy commute, walking, running even, I pray…rejoicing always and giving thanks. It is an enjoyable practice that can easily become a habit.

I read somewhere recently, that we must be careful of doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Fasting immediately came to mind. If I fast – is it to save money on food that can then be given to the local food bank, or am I depriving myself of food and secretly hoping to lose those pounds that have hung on since Christmas? There are numerous ways I can think of to fast, with no ulterior motive lurking in the shadows. We can fast from judging others; fast from anger, from complaining, and fast from thoughts of illness, trusting instead in the healing power of God.

Almsgiving is not necessarily a monetary thing. We all have too much stuff in our possession. We can purge those things we hoard, and give them to those who can make good use of them. I dropped in to Safe ‘N Sound recently – this is a local homelessness initiative – just to see what they’re all about. I was impressed with what I saw. They help the homeless, and those in danger of becoming homeless. They provide a comfortable spot to come in out of the cold, they provide a bit of lunch; a place to do laundry, take a shower and replace old and worn clothes with gently used clothing. There are computers available to search online for work and other resources, and overall the environment is warm and friendly. They are in constant need of towels, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, men’s and women’s deodorant. Gently used clothing, shoes and boots…it’s easy to help others by giving away those things we do not need; by doing without a few luxuries to purchase simple and much appreciated items of hygiene for those who can barely afford to feed themselves and their families.

Prayer, fasting and almsgiving can be accomplished in numerous ways. When we are mindful and grateful for the gifts we have been given, and when we are mindful of others’ needs and concerns, our Lenten journey will not be mindless drudgery, but fruitful and joy-filled.