No, I haven't given up - or even cut back - blogging for Lent. My silence yesterday was the result of a full schedule and a lack of coherent ideas. I just didn't have time to sit and ruminate about what might make a good blog post. After reading this, you might easily conclude that I didn't have that luxury today, either.
Truthfully, I have been either very allergic the last couple of days, or I'm trying to catch a cold. I'm popping Benadryl, and the higher editing functions of my brain may be a little compromised. Pardon me if this is long and rambles a bit. To paraphrase Pascal, "I apologize that this is so long, as I lacked the time to make it shorter.".
My Lenten sacrifice has nothing to do with media this year, though that category has been a reliable standby in the past. In fact, I think those Lents wherein I gave up television must have had some positive cumulative effect, as I am not much tempted to watch television at all anymore. That leaves me out of some good conversations (I don't really follow any shows, so even interesting discussions on better TV fare like Battlestar Galactica and Lost and the like are - well, lost on me.
I got hooked on television at a young age, and developed a habit of turning on the set as soon as I got home, or whenever I entered a room. This lessened over time, but came roaring back after the 9/11 attacks. I quickly became addicted to 24 hour news channels.
But, by the grace of God, I am just no longer that interested. I almost never turn the TV on when I'm by myself at home. I only rarely get sucked in to watching whole programs, and am not tempted at all to waste time that could be better spent doing other things (with the exception of the odd classic movie, or getting totally absorbed in a Firefly marathon, once. I am a big fan of documentaries). I consider blogging to be a more productive use of time, though it can become a bad habit, as well.
I used to spend much more time blogging than I do now, especially in the period right after I had just discovered the blog universe. That habit, too, has been moderated (thanks be to God) and I self-regulate my internet screen time pretty prudently, I think. The thing is, there is so much great material available on the web, I could do worthwhile spiritual study literally all day long. I don't have the time to read even a hundredth of everything I would like to read, and these are things inarguably beneficial (my spell checker just red-lined "inarguably"... It does things like that, which is why I often ignore it).
As Eric Scheske pointed out yesterday (do watch the video), there is a glut of information available on the net - good, edifying information - a tiny fraction of which is much more than any human being could ever hope to absorb. There is also a lot of crap to wade through in order to reach the edifying bits. We have to exercise prudence and discretion, even in choosing among the good stuff. We can't allow the brute fact that it is there to dictate our behavior. What we do with the knowledge we have is far more important than how much we know, or even how well we know it.
I don't know how great an idea it is to talk specifically about my Lenten sacrifice. I don't want to "... announce it with trumpets... to be honored by men", but at the same time, I have benefitted from hearing people talk about their experiences with Lent, and so I hope some might find a little benefit in hearing about mine. If you don't think it's a good idea, "feel free to flee".
My Lenten sacrifice this year touches on food, and my relationship to it. I am working not just to break a bad habit, but to (thanks to the instruction of holier minds) strengthen in myself the Virtue of Temperance.
Things had been going well (not as if I was keeping score, but regarding the awakening of virtue) right up until Sunday, when I allowed myself a break from my sacrifice. While this is allowed, it was a mistake in terms of trying to break a bad habit and form a better one. Taking a break from Temperance is no more to be recommended than taking a break from Prudence or Justice.
I overindulged. I pigged out on snacks. On the first Sunday of Lent, no less! I could tell the next day, too, that my binge had left me a bit weakened, had stirred-up and agitated my appetites and made it harder to fulfill my sacrifice (two moderate meals a day, with no snacks and no desserts).
I will have to establish some pre-set limits, even on those days when I allow myself to relax my discipline, somehwat. If I don't, I will keep grabbing the tortilla chips until I hit my natural limit, otherwise called "the bottom of the bag". This will also be good practice for life after Lent. What, am I going to go back to grazing all day long, just because Lent is over?
There are occasions to feast, of course. Even our moderation should be moderated, at times. Indulging a little in the spirit of joyful conviviality is like a tonic, and keeps us from becoming dour and puritanical in our approach to the world and to worldly goods. Such a thing is actually a healthy part of the virtue of Temperance. But this is always a social reality, a matter of fellowship and celebration. Stuffing on Fritos and beer while laughing with your friends might even be a kind of spiritual exercise, while doing the same while sitting alone in your boxer shorts would be sad and pathetic.
Our relationship with food parallels our relationships with many other created things, so learning moderation and self-discipline in eating translates very readily into other areas. If we tolerate in ourselves a "see it, want it, grab it" response to food, we will see that same response operating in regard to other things, as well. It's not always so much the raw material of our desire that matters, but this mental mechanism of self-indulgence.
For your Lenten reading, here from the Catechism is a summary of what the Church teaches about The Virtues.
Recent Comments