Praying, Fasting, Almsgiving: What I'm doing this Lent

This Wednesday, we celebrate Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

In grade school, we always had to write down what we would be giving up and then we would take our sacrifices to the alter. After grade school, the practice of giving something up grew less important each year. I don't remember ever missing an Ash Wednesday mass, but I have always struggled with giving something up and obeying the rules for fasting and abstaining from meat.

I had a great priest in grade school who, among other things, encouraged is to not only give something up, but to pray more and to give back. This same priest also physically buried "Alleluia" in his front yard!

In the spirit of not only giving something up, I will also be spending more time in prayer and giving back.

Without further delay, my Lenten promises for 2015:

Praying:

-Attend a weekday mass once a week

(Super excited my church will offer a 7pm mass 3 Tuesdays during Lent!)

-Spend my time in my car saying the rosary instead of listening to the radio.

Fasting

-No QT/gas station stop in the morning

(I will instead drink water or bring something from home)

-Speaking ill of others

(This specifically is about my one co-worker who doesn't seem to respect me)

Almsgiving

-Clean spare change from car and donate.

-Clean out closet and donate what I don't wear.