by Frank Butry

Created on: March 08, 2009

When I grew in age, I came to realize what Lent really was, a journey through the desert of ones soul, to become nearer to God and better as a person.As Jesus travelled through the desert, we must travel through our mind, to the very being of our soul, to recollect our thoughts and feelings and wonder what made us the way we are, how we act towards others and our own habits that keep us from being the best we can be.

The journey always begins with a small yet significant symbol, ashes on your forehead, a reminder that we are all going to return to earth, to dust as we came from. From that moment, we look inward, with honesty, to how we can better ourselves and come nearer to God. As in Lents past, I know what I must do for myself, not only fast and abstinance, but prayer and taking time out in my life to remind myself of the really important things. To look inward, and give myself to helping, not hurting. To pray daily to our God who loves us, to thank Him for what I have, and how to give some of it back.

Like the bible quote, I grew older and put away childish things, and each Lent I give more of my bad childish habits away. This year, I gave up my days off, trying to give myself to various volunteer groups. I have but one day off a week, and I gave that up for Lent! People make New Years resolutions, mine don't start until now, when I sit back on Ash Wednesday and look to my future as a human being, trying to grow alittle, and give alot.

I believe that Lent is a better time than Christmas, because Christmaas became such a materialistic time, where Lent is a time for sharring yourself, not buying or overeating, but fasting and reflection. This will be a tough Lent for me, I am going to end my last vice, cigarettes, which I hear is harder to quit than heroin! But it is my last sin against people and myself, and its time to put it away as well. When Easter morning arrives, like Christ reborn, myself will be reborn as a different person, with the grace and help of God.

I have always to defend the catholic traditions of Lent to people who are not familiar with it, and it is my pleasure to desrcibe the wonderful feelings you have by confessing, faasting, and giving yourself the chance to live again in the grace of our Lord. It is a great time for all of the christian churches to come together in peace and unity of the Holy Spirit, to put away our differences and work together, like Jesus would have us do.

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