Feasting is forestalled and fasting installed for the next forty days!! ...whether you're a Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, or Anglican -- and i hope that through the amelioration of my undertakings and intentions this Lent i grow to love much more by way of prayer, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial as the traditional purpose of Lent is in the Church. Personally, I think that through fasting, one learns more minuscule and enormous aspects of their soul, than through any other approach to self-denial and meditation. In a way you are learning to die to self, and that's the first step to listening to God. Over spring break I heard an audio retreat by Fr. Larry Richards (i strongly recommend) on an extremely basic subject: the purpose of life. simply and crucially: what we do now determines our eternity. its contents moved me so much and compelled me to think about a lot of things, particularly when he mentioned that prayer is not an opportunity to say "shut up God, I'm talking" but rather "speak Lord, I'm listening". That in itself forced me to stop and realize numerous spiritual chisels on my part. Perhaps this Lent ought to be devoted solely to quiet. in my mind. silence. He knows what I'm thinking already, what's in our minds, there's no need to pester and question and jabber on mentally to Someone who sees, hears, and knows everything before it even happens. There's no cause for noise and a one-way insistence. Nature is the most silent yet musical undertaking, and although I've observed that before, why didn't I apply it to my personal pursuits? I once read that inspiration without application cheats the intention and fans the flames of mediocrity... as Catholics we all know our Faith and the Church's teachings. But what it comes down to is whether you personally know your God. That's how you prove someone's existence. If someone told you your sister didn't exist you would say, "My sister definitely exists, because I've experienced her, I know her, believe me. I can tell you all about her and what we've experienced together" So... do i really know Him? It's a frightening question.
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