Lent 2011: Why Give Things Up?

Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, March 9th. I'd like to do a series of blog posts with Lenten themes. If you see or already have an article, quote, etc. about Lent that you'd like to share, email me, Ashley Daly.

To start us off, here is a meditation on Lent from Father Jewitt, most recently a Tulsa pastor at Saint Bernards; he passed away in 2008. My best friend's brother has this quoted on his facebook page, of all places. Father Jewitt made quite an impression on many of my good friends, including my husband who still has Father Jewitt's Mass card clipped to the driver side sun visor in his car.

"Each and every day of our life we are faced with a similar choice. Do we give in to temptation or resist it? Do we seek our own will or God's? The battle is fought on many levels. Sometimes it is in little things - to make that cutting remark or not, to tell that little lie or not. Sometimes it involves far higher stakes - to be unfaithful to my spouse or not, to have that abortion or not. No matter how serious, the choice is still the same: Adam or Christ - disobedience or obedience.
This is why we should make self-denial a regular part of our Lenten practice. It isn't because the things we choose to give up are bad in and of themselves, it’s because if we can never say "no” to some of the innocent pleasures of life we will probably never learn to say "no" to anything. Self-discipline is ...not a quality that comes to us easily and naturally. It is an art that can be learned only by regular practice. That is why we are urged by the Church to "practice" self-denial and self-discipline during Lent. If we are foolish enough to think it is not important we will more than likely suffer Adam's fate. We will find ourselves naked and exposed to the cold winds of evil and selfishness that chill the spirit and sap our strength for doing good."


- Father Bernard Jewitt

5/12/36-2/6/08