About a week ago, I began noticing how frenetically devoted Catholic websites and parishes are to ensuring that I have lots to do during Lent. It's as if I'm a cranky toddler, the Lenten journey is a 40-day car trip, and the Mother Church doesn't want me to be bored.
If I responded to every call to participate, my calendar would be jammed on a weekly basis with Stations of the Cross, Lenten Vespers, Taize prayer, soup-n-salad suppers, labyrinth walks, and opportunities to ramp up my community service. I could also pencil in a parish Seder, a Tenebrae service, a parish penance service, and a special day of prayer for women -- before even getting to the Triduum.
This year I've decided to dial down for Lent. I'm going to keep it simple and will reveal more about my key Lenten practice in another post. And no, I am not referring to working on the fabulous paint-by-number version of DaVinci's "Last Supper" that I found at Tuesday Morning for $9.99.
