Jennifer Jasiczek

Snippets of my crazy life.

Posts tagged Lent

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Lent 2012

As my fellow Catholics prepare for the Lenten season I am reminded by the best sermon I ever heard about Lent and Sacrifice while a freshman at the University of Dallas. I am not going to wax on. I find many people who profess and talk about their faith as fake as they come - probably because if you are talking about it so much are you still talking yourself into it? Just be. Just live it. Just do it (go Nike!)

I just have a few points to make:

  • It’s not a Lenten sacrifice if you’re posting and tweeting about garnering sympathy how you have given up sugar, chocolate, alcohol, >insert yours here< Let us not complain, whine and go on about how hard Lent is… let’s approach Lent with some humility and grace.
  • Also, don’t just give up something - promise to do something extra… Put in the extra effort… and again, don’t talk about it so much.

My freshman year at college among scholars and theologians has taught me so much, but the Fat Tuesday sermon by Fr. Kelly in 1989 was the best. Now I must log off and myself prepare for Lent. 

Filed under Lent Catholics

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Lent and what it means for me: Every year at the end of February, I like to go away on a private trip, alone, sans family. Most of you know by now that I have had a child and placed for adoption before I met J2.  This happened 19 years ago.  Lent is a constant reminder of this time in my life. The time when I lost my first child and the first person I loved at the same time.  It was particularly difficult to lose two people at once. Don&#8217;t get me wrong - all my by own actions and choices, but still hard nonetheless. I was pulled through by faith and faith alone.  Because of this faith, I was made stronger.  I&#8217;ve always believed I can do anything and this is rooted in my love from my parents and my Catholic upbringing.   I&#8217;ve had a great upbringing in my church. I&#8217;m Roman Catholic.  There is not much easy about the Catholic faith.  I am the first to admit, I haven&#8217;t been the best steward of Christianity these past few years. In fact, I&#8217;ve been a non-believer for sometime.  I keep going back to a conversation I had with a high school friend last summer and his words have been there, just under the surface egging me on, bringing me back to the church that built me.  So 2011 I am making a commitment to come back. Every year at this time, I take time for myself - it is my new year.  Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance, a cleaning house time, is where I put those things I reflected upon in late February, agreed to work on - into action.  But first, I have a bone to pick with people who speak of their sacrifices publicly. Lent isn&#8217;t about giving up stuff. So if that is all you&#8217;re doing - well, you&#8217;re doing it wrong!  It grates on my nerves and in the time of the blogs, twitter, FB, etc&#8230; I&#8217;m going to just take a minute to point out that if you speak of your sacrifices on social media and garner sympathy, then you&#8217;re missing the point! For me, Lent is a time of sacrifice, but also working so much harder on all those things spiritual - not specifically church. I am praying you all have a great Lenten season.  Mine won&#8217;t be easy, but hey, it&#8217;s not supposed to be. Catholicism has never been easy. As Father Kelly (priest from University of Dallas) once told me: it&#8217;s not for wimps.  I miss those days when I would roll out of bed and walk to morning mass, or noon mass. It was easier back then to be a better Catholic. No more excuses! What does my Lenten season have in store? I&#8217;m not sure.  What do I have in store for Lent - I can&#8217;t tell you, but trust me, it will make me stronger. photo taken by me in July 2010 at the St. Matthews Catholic church sports park.  Isabel was in a session working on her selective mutism and I was at my wits end. I had just started running and I sought some peace and quiet in the shade. I came across about 14 crosses on this walking path.  It is where my journey began to bring me back to the church. I felt like a complete failure as a parent with no where to turn. I look up and see this.  You should check it out sometime. It&#8217;s on Wurzbach.  

Lent and what it means for me:

Every year at the end of February, I like to go away on a private trip, alone, sans family. Most of you know by now that I have had a child and placed for adoption before I met J2.  This happened 19 years ago.  Lent is a constant reminder of this time in my life. The time when I lost my first child and the first person I loved at the same time.  It was particularly difficult to lose two people at once. Don’t get me wrong - all my by own actions and choices, but still hard nonetheless. I was pulled through by faith and faith alone.  Because of this faith, I was made stronger.  I’ve always believed I can do anything and this is rooted in my love from my parents and my Catholic upbringing.  

I’ve had a great upbringing in my church. I’m Roman Catholic.  There is not much easy about the Catholic faith.  I am the first to admit, I haven’t been the best steward of Christianity these past few years. In fact, I’ve been a non-believer for sometime.  I keep going back to a conversation I had with a high school friend last summer and his words have been there, just under the surface egging me on, bringing me back to the church that built me.  So 2011 I am making a commitment to come back.

Every year at this time, I take time for myself - it is my new year.  Ash Wednesday, a day of repentance, a cleaning house time, is where I put those things I reflected upon in late February, agreed to work on - into action.  But first, I have a bone to pick with people who speak of their sacrifices publicly.

Lent isn’t about giving up stuff. So if that is all you’re doing - well, you’re doing it wrong!  It grates on my nerves and in the time of the blogs, twitter, FB, etc… I’m going to just take a minute to point out that if you speak of your sacrifices on social media and garner sympathy, then you’re missing the point!

For me, Lent is a time of sacrifice, but also working so much harder on all those things spiritual - not specifically church. I am praying you all have a great Lenten season.  Mine won’t be easy, but hey, it’s not supposed to be. Catholicism has never been easy. As Father Kelly (priest from University of Dallas) once told me: it’s not for wimps.  I miss those days when I would roll out of bed and walk to morning mass, or noon mass. It was easier back then to be a better Catholic. No more excuses!

What does my Lenten season have in store? I’m not sure.  What do I have in store for Lent - I can’t tell you, but trust me, it will make me stronger.

photo taken by me in July 2010 at the St. Matthews Catholic church sports park.  Isabel was in a session working on her selective mutism and I was at my wits end. I had just started running and I sought some peace and quiet in the shade. I came across about 14 crosses on this walking path.  It is where my journey began to bring me back to the church. I felt like a complete failure as a parent with no where to turn. I look up and see this.  You should check it out sometime. It’s on Wurzbach.  

Filed under Ash Wednesday, Lent