Reflections

As we move forward in this second week of Lent, today is a good opportunity to reflect on our efforts so far. We talked yesterday about our priorities and about the fact that we may encounter the first difficulties of our fast this week. The first week was new and exciting, an adventure waiting to be had. This week, the newness begins to wear off and we see that we have a long road ahead of us.

But this knowledge presents its own gist, the opportunity to step up our efforts. Certainly we made some type of promise to ourselves, to God, of what we were going to accomplish this Lent. Most likely we did accomplish it that first week. This week, this second week, we need to add a bit to it, to make this week new as well, to challenge ourselves to even more of an effort. We may need to spend a bit more time in prayer. We may need to attend more weekday services. We may need to make a better effort to show love to those around us. Whatever the case is, we must not "rest on the laurels" of the effort of our first week.

St. Paul says to us in Ephesians that no man ever hates his own flesh, but cherishes and nourishes it. Now is the time to nourish not our flesh, but our soul. Let us feed and water our soul with words of prayer, with acts of worship and with moments of love and compassion towards our fellow man. In this way, each week of the Lenten season will begins anew, as a challenge, exciting in its possibilities and opportunities.