This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Does it not feel like we just celebrated Christmas? And here we are now entering Lent. I will never get used to the passage of time. This last week has been a busy one with 2 funerals on top of my regular schedule. As we move into Lent, I will be running around again with penance services. How will Lent change your daily routines?

Giving something up? Often times we will give something up for Lent. Sometimes it may be something we should be giving up anyway, say some bad habit we have, whatever that may be. Ok, if giving it up for Lent helps us give it up, great, but don’t go back to it during Easter just because it is no longer Lent. Another approach can be to give up something that we like or enjoy and see giving it up as a sacrifice for the Lord. One of my regular Lenten practices is to give up alcohol, not that I think I have a problem, but I do enjoy my occa- sional Flor de Cana Rum and Cherry Coke Zero. However, by making a special point in giving it up for Lent, it does point out to me if I had started turning to that more than I should. I do have one caveat to this, Sacramental wine does not count. Technically when I con- sume it, it is the Precious Blood. Do you have a regular thing that you give up for Lent, either personally, or as a family?.

Picking something up? I like the positive side of picking up something good for Lent. Maybe it is adding something to our prayer prac- tice? Or a focus on a charity or caring for someone else? There are so many ways that we can focus on adding something positive in our Lenten practices.

There are those things asked us by the Church. Both Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are Fast & Abstaining days. Fast being defined as one normal sized meal and two smaller meals that together do not equal the one normal meal. Abstaining means no meat. All other Fridays of Lent are Abstaining from meat days. Don’t forget about the KC Fish Frys!!! That can be a great tradition for Lent. Also, don’t forget the Stations of the Cross at 7:00pm Fridays of Lent.

My biggest struggle with Lent is not feeling like I get to sit back and reflect on things. One, we can get busy needing to think about and plan for Holy Week. It is almost like living a season ahead of everyone else, just to make sure we are ready. The other part is since I get busier with penance services, I get less time to slow down during Lent and reflect on Lent itself. Yes, there are some things that help me. I enjoy the stations of the cross; is ‘enjoy’ the right word? I get so much out of the stations of the cross! Sometimes I wish the stations of the cross were not seen as a Lent Only thing. Really this can be a beautiful prayer any time of the year to reflect on Christ’s passion.

Of course, Lent and Easter can always get me starting to think of Spring. With the odd winter we have had, or not had, a part of me feels like it is still fall. But the Calendar says February, and a few of the warmer days we have had even said March. But Easter says spring is coming. I know many have had to miss out on some of the normal winter white stuff fun. Yet, how many times has winter hung on and

bitten into my beloved Spring? Too often! See, look how time has passed in just this article I have jumped ahead. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Masses with ashes are at 8:00am and 7:00pm.

May this Lent be a Blessed and prayerful time for all of you.

Blessings,

Fr Backer