Today is the first day of Lent in the Catholic Church.  We begin our journey of repentance in preparation for the Easter season.

As a convert to Catholicism, I found it a bit odd to “give something up” during the 40 days prior to Easter.  I’d known friends that gave up chocolate, soda, beer, etc and  I wondered what sort of spiritual conditioning could be achieved by doing such things.  However, over the 20+ years since my entrance into the Church, I’ve seen how such small sacrifices can have an impact on spiritual growth – especially if the thing given up is something akin to an addiction.

One year, during medical school, I gave up coffee – a source of caffeine that helped me stay awake during the many long hours of lectures and studying.  Whenever I craved for the coffee, I would remind myself why I couldn’t have it and “offer it up” – a phrase uttered by older generations, referring to offering the situation as a sacrifice to God.

As a former Protestant, I have always been more drawn to the concept of adding something to my daily routine that would enhance my spiritual growth.  In past years, I have said a daily rosary, read the daily mass readings (as seen here) along with commentaries on the daily readings (e.g., Word Among Us), read spiritual devotionals (e.g., In Conversation with God, by Francis Fernandez), and listened only to Christian music.  The payoff for this sort of activity is that it has often become part of my daily routine, even after Lent ended.  If you’d like to join me in my 2012 Lenten journey, I will be reading “The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life” by Michael Dubruiel.  This is written in such a format that is read daily; you can download the free pdf here.

Whatever you choose to give up or add this year – I wish you great success in your Lenten journey.