Happy Mardi Gras!*

Today is the day that Christians all over the world celebrate and thank God for the abundance He showers upon us before entering the austere lessons of Lent. A Mardi Gras prayer includes these words:

As our feasting fills us with gratitude, so may our fasting and abstinence hollow out in us a place for deeper desires and an attentiveness to hear the cry of the poor.

Those who participated in last fall’s prayer campaign (If My People) should also include thanks and heartfelt gratitude for these answers to our prayers for the United States:

* The elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts
* The failure of the Underwear Bomber’s attempt to blow up a plane load of passengers over a densely populated area
* The exposure of lying and fraud by the primary scientists behind the global warming theories
* The continued unraveling of the massive health care proposals
* The resignations of many politicians

Once again let’s join other Americans in praying for our country during Lent, which starts tomorrow. Much needs to change in our government, in our culture, and in our personal lives; let’s pray for improvement (i.e. realignment with God’s purposes) in all areas. Then after Easter, take note of the miracles that unfold.

Although I have often been Missing-In-Action for the last three months, I am returning to the daily blog today. I promise to have brief meditations every day to remind you to pray, as well as tidbits of political news you may have missed.

Or, there are other sites on the Internet where you might find inspiration:
1. 40 Days for Life is dedicated to prayers to end abortion in the U.S. They will begin a new initiative tomorrow.
2. Spiritual Exercises is a website for those who use Lent to examine their lives in the light of the Gospel. These exercises were first promulgated by St. Ignatius of Loyola and have inspired Christians for over 450 years. I have used them twice and found them quite helpful.
3. Once again the Aggie Catholics have come up with their Lenten website, which is full of information, many answers to questions, and links to other sites.

* Due to the mass media's deleterious emphasis and influence, few people still understand the true meaning of Mardi Gras, or St. Valentine's Day, or St. Patrick's Day, or Christmas, . . . .

Spiritual Boot Camp

Tomorrow, more than a billion Christians around the world will begin a 40-day period of intensified prayer, alms giving, and self-denial. The purpose, like boot camp for inductees into the army, is to prepare for warfare except that Christians are engaged in conflict already, while inductees have not yet entered into actual battle.

Most of us who call ourselves Christians and claim that we love God still find ourselves falling for the empty promises of Satan, just like our ancestors, Adam and Eve. Throughout our lives, we find ways to distrust God’s love and provisions for us and convince ourselves that, just this once, in this very tiny manner, with these most unusual circumstances, we can proceed on our own without exactly following His lead.

During Lent we return to the basics, repent of our stupidity and faithlessness, exercise our flabby faith muscles, and learn to match our actions with our ideals by helping the “least of these” in our midst. The goal is to emerge on Easter Sunday as a new, improved version of ourselves, closer to the person God had in His mind when He created us.

We may never reach the mark, but, like St. Paul, we press on toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

If you are interested in reading more about the purpose of Lent, I suggest Fr. Philip Powell’s Blog, Domine Da Mihi Hanc Aquam (Lord, give me this water). Today, he has posted a short Lenten Prayer and reasons for Thanking the Devil. If you want a compendium of practical Lenten information, go to Aggie Catholics.