Bite-sized Sacrifices

 

Lenten Reflection #6

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not spurn.” – Psalm 51:19

The term “Lenten sacrifice” may be daunting for many of us. As a little girl, I was appalled by pictures of self-flagellants with bloodied backs. Walking the whole length of the procession barefoot like some people do in my hometown was beyond my abilities. My (hashtag all caps) SACRIFICE was to sit through the monotonous chanting of the Pasyon my Lola hosted at our ancestral house.

When I grew up, the concept changed to more doable sacrifices. But still, there were times I would falter because I could not sustain it for 40 days. When I backslid, I’d totally give up.

As I was preparing for today’s reflection, I came across a very helpful article about little Lenten sacrifices for those who can’t go the traditional route*. I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of bite-sized sacrifices for my own use:

No decadent sweets for dessert (Krispy Kreme, Mary Grace, Dairy Queen goodbye for now).

2.   No chocolates as weekend cheats (hello fat-free, made from real fruit Welch’s gummies muna)

3.   No detective mysteries and romcoms (binge watch only bible themed movies and shows like The Chosen)

4.   No match 3 and home design games. Play only those that are good for stimulating the brain like word games and puzzles.

5.   Instead of changing the topic after Papa tells the same story for the fifth time, wait until the tenth retelling.

How about you? What’s your bite-sized Lenten sacrifices?

Reference:       *National Catholic Register’s 13 Little Lenten Sacrifices 

                        https://www.ncregister.com/blog/13-little-lenten-sacrifices