The 40 Day Desert Begins!

    Today, is a day of sacrifice, a day of fasting, a day in which we begin to walk in the desert without any food, water, or fellowship. It is us and God, and well the other guy who likes to follow you around and tempt you. Today we begin a 40 day journey in which we give up the things in life that keep us from growing closer to God. We face temptation head on, we make a statement of saying that food is simply just that. It is something needed for our human body, but we are more than just flesh and blood. This takes me to the Gospel from today's Mass.

    What is Lent truly about? Is it about giving something up and telling everyone we gave up soda, chocolate, Facebook or twitter? Is it about going to a restaurant and saying "Sorry, today is Friday I can not eat meat?" or is it about seeing McDonalds come up with a crazy Filet-O-Fish commercial? If you said yes to any of these things I am sorry, but you are not truly seeing the intended picture of what Lent is all about. Today Jesus tells what Lent is supposed to be like for the next 40 days for all of us. If you do not believe me, well read for yourself:

(Matt6:1-6,16-18)
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father."

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so others may see them."

"When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance  so that they may appear to others to be fasting."

    What Jesus is telling us is that, we do not receive ashes today to go around and be like "Hey look at me! I have ashes and I am fasting today!" No that is against everything Jesus teaches us. He is telling us that Lent, yes is a universal season of the Church, but it is meant to be lived in individual deserts. We all have our own struggles and vices that pull us away from Christ. Take this lent to be by yourself in your spiritual journey with ONLY GOD! Take the next 40 days to look deep into your own relationship with God and fix what is wrong with it. The desert may be a hard place, but the result is the JOY OF EASTER! Let me leave you with one final verse from scripture today:

"But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."