Across the Pastor’s Desk by Kurt Farrell

 

When I was a kid growing up Catholic, Lent was a downer. I was not fond of being different from all the other kids at school, in regards to what I could and couldn’t eat on Fridays. I didn’t like having to fast, pray more and do alms giving.

Now that I am older, I look forward to the season of Lent, and I am grateful to the Church for encouraging these disciplines.

Someone the other day laughed at me for saying that I longed for the time of year that forced me to do things I would not choose to do freely all the time, when I knew that if I did them I would be better off and happier. I commented back to the person that I guess that is just human nature for you. It might sound silly, but it is true.

As the author of the book of Koheleth mentions, “there is a time and a season for everything under the sun.”

Celebrations and parties are great, but so is silence and times of quiet solitude. We send most of our time trying to earn money and save for the things we need, but it is good to spend some of that money on those that have nothing.

Most of us eat when we are hungry and do what we feel like doing; sometimes it is good and healthy to force ourselves to say no to our appetites and deny ourselves everything we want. Lent is that time of year, which does help us make a commitment to do those things that are good for our soul that we probably would not do if we were not encouraged to do so by the disciplines of this time of year.

I hope that everyone will have a great Lent.

Kurt Farrell is a pastor at St. Theodore Catholic Church in Albert Lea.