Preparing for Lent

I love three day weekends! I finally feel caught up on sleep, and now I can finally catch up on my blog! 

To start with, I haven't been to daily Mass yet. Not once. I wanted to start last week, but it didn't happen. I could not seem to get myself out of bed early. I guess I had a real "low energy" week, generally speaking. I simply could not find the motivation, desire, or interest in the things I need/want to accomplish. The call to go to daily Mass has not gone away. It has grown stronger. I found another location that offers daily evening Mass, which might work better for me. Of course, it's not going to be perfect. Evening Mass starts 3+ hours after I get off work (and is closer to work than home...) So, I have to decide if I am going to entertain myself between work and Mass, or if I am going to use extra gas to travel back and forth....my guess is it'll be a combination of the two. The extra time after work would be the perfect opportunity to spend more time reading the Bible or other spiritual literature.

My goal is to attend Mass daily through Lent. I feel a very strong desire to partake in the Sacrament more often. I crave that closeness to Christ. I have to admit, I am a little nervous about this undertaking, partly due to my lack of energy lately, and partly because of my human nature. The sloth part of me thinks about all of the relaxing things I could do at home. I am going to do my best.


This year, I feel like I have a lot of things I want to do during Lent. In the past, I've been much more laid back about the whole thing. I'm trying to balance wanting to challenge myself spiritually with the notion that I don't need to overdo it (or take on more than I can handle). 


So here's my Lenten List:

1. Daily Mass. I think this is my "big one" this year. I feel very called to do this...
2. Fasting. I haven't worked out all the details, but the general idea is to cut back on junk food/limit food intake in general.
3. Give up Social Media. The only exception is blogging. I get a lot of strength and wisdom from the blogs I read, and I want to continue to express my spiritual journey here. 
4. Continue daily Rosary. I'm also considering the Chaplet of Precious Blood.
5. Spiritual Reading. I have a few books in mind already. 
6. Another Retreat. I'm not sure how finances/time will fall into place, but it's something I'm considering.