Lent - A Time for Simplicity, Reflection

This post may or may not be of interest to those who are not Christian/Catholic but I do hope that everyone can get a little something out of it.

The season of Lent is here. Lent is a very solemn and special period in the church and while a lot of others may dislike all the "rules" and regulations of Catholicism, I have actually gotten alot out of them, especially by knowing the spirit in which these regulations were thought of.
My priest gave an excellent homily on Sunday (luckily for me he usually does a great job, even talking about materialism and environmentalism on occasion) and talked about how Lent is not supposed to be just about giving up chocolate for a month, meat on Fridays, or whatever else it is people do. He describes it as a time to slow down and simplify our lives.

Its certainly not a bad thing to practice a little self-discipline and certainly money that would otherwise be spent on things like chocolate bars or coffee could be put to better use. However the purpose of Lent is truly to take a break from things that prevent us from hearing the voice of God and to tend to the more important things in life. He suggested maybe giving up TV or internet to make more "space" in our lives. Another thing one can do is give up things that hurt others such as swearing or gossip (and believe me, giving up gossip would simplify my life a lot!). You can then use the time to add other things such as prayer and meditation that truly enrich our lives. Simple living isn't necessarily about eliminating tons of items or tasks from our lives, but rather focusing only on what is truly important and enriching which sometimes means both taking away adding things to our life.

I think that even those who are not religous could probably benefit from a sort of "Lenten" season every now and then. Giving up some things that complicate our lives or suck up resources that could be put to better use for a more fulfilling purpose.

This season comes at a time for me when it doesn't make sense for me to slow down. A baby on the way and a dissertation to write make for very hectic times. However, I see God's plan in this as I learn to trust God, and make the time to follow my simplicity endeavors. Life will always have the potential to be hectic and cluttered, if I don't continue to simplify and make time for the truly important things now I never will. What I am giving up isn't going to help the environment, save me money, or even free up more time. I won't share here what I am giving up as I don't want to do this in hope or expectation of recognition or praise. However, I do hope that it will make some spiritual "space" for me and declutter myself of anger and bad temperment.

Regardless of religous affiliation, I think periods of spiritual and personal reflection are a good thing. It can help us declutter emotionally and point us back in the right direction of where we want to go. Sometimes we lose our way without even realizing it and just stopping and taking notice of our surroundings can get us back on the right trail.